Naruto: The Part-Timer
by ALP113
Summary: There is only one thing Naruto dreams of becoming; something he believes will earn him the respect a person of his social standing deserves and something he is willing to give his all to achieve. Employee of the Month! You know... the little things in life. But when you're working for Ichiraku's Ramen in a shinobi world, the universe tends to throw in all sorts of complications.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hi all.

After much thought and debate, I decided to give this idea for a Naruto fanfiction a try and see where it'll go. After reading the manga and looking back on the first few chapters of the Naruto series, I was inspired to write this version of the jinchuriki's tale where a few changes in the timeline changes Naruto's ultimate path in life.

Instead of wanting to become a ninja, Naruto becomes a hardworking employee of _Ichiraku's Ramen_ and, by extension, the ramen industry. And when I mean hardworking, I mean _really_ hardworking. He in fact becomes so good at his job, the assignments he's eventually given while working for Teuchi and Ayame sends him on all sorts of crazy adventures.

What can a part-time worker in a shinobi world possibly do in this kind of situation?

Basically this story will follow the original storyline somewhat, where Naruto's journey will intertwine with the lives of others and the life his original counterpart would've lived, so you could call this somewhat of an AU version of the Naruto universe.

So… here goes nothing.

* * *

**NARUTO**

**The Part-Timer**

_Prologue_

"_You… really know how to put your foot down when you want to… Minato," Kushina spoke in a hoarse voice, a pained cough following shortly afterwards that saw blood run down from the corners of her mouth. Managing to keep it from splattering across her son, who she could see was lying peacefully in the tiny sealing alter in front of them, the wounded mother then grinned over her shoulder towards the father, who'd also thrown himself into the fray, "Man you're stubborn."_

"_Can you blame me? When something like this is at stake… you can bet I'll be willing to put my life on the line for it," the blonde haired man responded in a surprisingly chipper tone, even though he too had blood dribbling down his chin and a claw the size of a support beam impaled through his chest._

_In fact, the same claw that was impaling him was also run through his beloved wife, both of whom were doing their very best to hold back the thing it was attached to. Towering over the Hokage and his wife, bound in chains and locked down inside of an enormous dome shaped barrier erected from the same golden shackles sprouting from Kushina's back, was the Kyuubi no Yoko himself._

_With its arm outstretched and fingers extended, the entire weight of the colossal beast was being put behind the husband and wife in an attempt to destroy its real target. He was so close to accomplishing this objective too. But, even with its great size, monstrous strength and destructive raw power, the Nine-Tailed Fox could do nothing as he was held down by the young mother determined to protect her newborn son._

_It was almost inconceivable._

"_**Damn you… you retched humans!"**_ _the fox growled, attempting to withdraw its hand. However, thanks to the chains wrapped around its body tightening like a vice and keeping him rooted to the floor, there was not much the demon could do except curse out its quarry and snarl at the man and woman standing in his way._ _**"I'll kill you!"**_

"_No… you won't…" Kushina breathed out, glancing up at the entity and cracking a warm smile, one that had the creature recoil in its place, "Not today, Kyuubi."_

_Hearing the Nine-Tail's snarl echo across the region, the red haired kunoichi gave a pained wince when she felt the power of the biju spike as it tried one last time to push forward and spear the baby lying just inches away from its hooked claw. However, when the mother and father dug their feet into the ground and the former once again tightened the chakra chains holding the demon, the fox was stopped dead, leaving all three of them in stalemate._

_But not for long._

"_You win," Kushina spoke, glancing back at her husband with a loving expression while gripping tightly to the large nail sticking out of her stomach. "First (cough)… argument you've ever won. I guess you're serious about this."_

_Minato grinned back in response, "Thank you, Kushina…"_

_For the next minute the pair stood in silence, catching their breaths while at the same time trying to hold on for as long as they could._

_The sudden tug on his chakra however broke Minato from his moment of reprieve, as he quickly remembered he still had the __**Shiki Fujin **__(Dead-Demon Consuming Seal) active, which was hanging onto both his and the other half of the Nine Tails' chakra that he had stored within him. It was clear the Death God was growing impatient and though the blonde haired warrior wanted to, he couldn't keep the spirit waiting for him any longer._

_With a nod of understanding, Minato leaned forward to speak to his wife, who was busy gazing down at their newborn son curled up in his crib. "It's time for me to go, Kushina. I'm going to perform the Eight Trigrams Seal… and leave a bit of my chakra behind with Naruto." Seeing the woman's smile drop and her eyes start to shimmer, the man then rested a hand against her arm. "I'll… also leave a bit of yours too… and pass the key on to Jiraiya-sensei…"_

"_W-Wait…" the kunoichi suddenly interrupted, cutting her husband off and stopping him in his tracks. When she did, Kushina quickly reached into her shirt and pulled something out, clutching it tightly to her chest. While Minato looked at her quietly and wondered what it was she was now holding, he then saw her open up her hand and show him a pendant; a red amber crystal with the whirlpool symbol of her clan engraved upon it. When their eyes fixed on the small gem, the woman smiled, "It was… supposed to be a birthday present… for Naruto." Tears forming in her eyes when she looked towards her son, the mother then glanced back at her husband to see him staring right back at her. "C-Could you… do you think…?" A sudden sob prevented her from finishing her question._

_Quickly catching on to what his wife wanted to ask, the man's eyes widened in momentary shock, before being replaced by a wide smile. Nodding in acknowledgement, the shinobi reached around and wrapped his hand around hers, encasing the pendant in her fingers, "Yes… absolutely." When he saw his wife smile, the two then reached over and, while holding the Kyuubi's claw out of reach, placed the pendant on their son's stomach._

_Their hands rested, one on top of the other, making sure the child received both the present and their love._

"_We still have a moment. If you have anything you want to say to Naruto… say it now…"_

_Eyes clouded with unshed tears, Kushina looked up with a smile. When her warm, loving gaze fell upon her son to see him sleeping soundly out of harm's reach, the kunoichi spoke, whispering words to him she was certain he could hear._

"_Naruto… this is your mother. Don't be a fussy eater. Eat a lot and grow up to be a big boy. Take your bath every day, go to bed early and sleep well."_

"_Make friends, it doesn't matter how many… just make sure they're good friends… people you can count on… even if there are only few. And… if you want to be a ninja someday… then… study your ninjutsu well." A light chuckle escaped her lips. "I was never really good at theory, but maybe you will be. Everyone has things they're good at… and things they're not… so don't feel bad if you can't do it all."_

"_Make sure you listen to your teachers. Avoid the three vices of shinobi: don't borrow money if you can't help it, save up what you can, no drinking alcohol until you're twenty, and don't overdo it or else you'll ruin your body. And… as far as women go… well…" Kushina giggled, "There are only men and women in this world… and you'll want to have a girlfriend some day. Just… don't fall for the first girl you meet… try to find someone like your mother." The redhead sighed and shook her head, as she remembered something else to tack onto that. "And the fourth warning; watch out for Jiraiya-sensei."_

_This drew a laugh from her husband, whom she could feel shaking against her back. After all, he knew what that man was like. They both did._

_Smiling and crying at the same time, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, the red haired mother leaned forward just as her husband did. When she felt Minato press his cheek up against hers, Kushina choked out a sob and continued._

"_Naruto … you're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering," the kunoichi said, her eyes red and filled with sadness and love. "Just… remember who you are. Make friends… fill your life with love… find a goal… find a dream… and don't ever stop trying until it comes true. There… There's…" Kushina sniffled and held back another sob, "There's so much more I want to say to you… so much more I want to teach you. I want to stay with you…" Her eyes never left her son, whom moved about in his crib and pawed at the air with his tiny hands. The sight had the mother beam, "I love you."_

_Minato nodded, also on the verge of tears. But, being the tough, stubborn man that he was, he refused to. After all… it was a father's job to be strong for their son._

_He had to be a good role model and he was determined to fulfill that duty._

"… _I'm sorry, Minato… I took up all our time," Kushina whispered, clenching her eyes shut while continuing to hold her ground._

"_It's okay," the Fourth whispered, at the same time reaching for her hand and interlocking his fingers with hers. Feeling his wife begin to tremble and giving her a comforting squeeze, ensuring her that everything was going to be alright, the man then gave one last nod before turning to his son. "Naruto… this is your dad…"_

_When his eyes fixed upon him and he saw the boy turn in his sleep, Minato grinned._

"_Listen… to your loquacious mother."_

_These last words brought a smile to the child's lips._

_Even though he was just a baby only a few minutes old, from the way he rolled in his cradle and giggled under the loving smiles of his parents, in some small way both Minato and Kushina knew that he'd heard them and understood everything they had to say. This was all the sign the two of them needed to know that he was listening._

_Even if he didn't fully understand now, he would later on in his life._

_That's what their hearts were telling them._

"_**Eight Trigrams Seal!"**_

_And you know what…_

…

…

_He did._

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter sets up everything that will follow soon after and will lead into the next one. Hope this is a good start.


	2. Working!

**NARUTO**

**The Part-Timer**

_Working!_

(Eleven Years Later)

(Konohagakure)

Waking up to the familiar sensation of warm sunlight beating down on his face, Naruto gave a very tired blink before slowly sitting up from the comforts of his bed. Responding to the call of morning and the sun barely peaking over the hills with a hearty yawn and a stretch, the spiky haired youngster then turned towards his bedside window. There, he saw the whole of _Konohagakure_ smiling back at him.

At least that's what he liked to think while he was sitting in his six tatami mat, third floor apartment looking out across the rooftops of the village stretching out before him. Sure it was a beautiful morning and all, but there was really no way the entire town would go out of its way to get up and greet him. After all, he was just a lowly civilian boy. In the grand scheme of things he was a nobody.

That suited Naruto just fine as far as he was concerned. After adjusting to the light filtering in from outside, the eleven year old smiled, threw off his blanket, and rolled it up. This marked the beginning of what many would consider a normal, brisk, early morning routine. Considering the circumstances, it was an ideal habit for the whisker-marked adolescent.

The apartment the blonde was living in was exactly what it was; a single room apartment with six tatami mats, four walls and a ceiling. On one side of the room he had a kitchen area complete with a sink, desk, a window to the corridor outside, and a fridge installed in the space provided along with a couple other appliances. The entrance to the apartment sat right next to that. Opposite to this side of the room was a length of wall and a window with a metal frame that allowed him to hang his wet laundry outside. On one of the smaller sides was another window and opposite to that was a wall with a sliding door to a built-in closet and a door to his apartment's toilet. There was no bathroom or any other additional rooms.

His living room, bedroom, kitchen and guest room all shared the same space, containing only the bare essentials.

Additionally, he also had a table in the center, a television by the window, and a book cupboard up against the wall with a few articles and scrolls. Hell, he didn't even have a mattress or a futon.

To most; it would be considered a cheap, backwater apartment. To others; it was cheap, easy to afford, living accommodations.

To Naruto; it was home.

After stuffing his quilt and pillow into his wall closet, he promptly moved into his morning exercises. These consisted of his usual sets; finger and thumb pushups on one arm, squats, sit ups while hanging from the railing he had running across the ceiling, pull ups and an assortment of other activities. Upon working on those he then moved on to hitting the large, cylindrical iron block resembling a punching bag he had hanging in the corner of his apartment from a frame and struts.

For the next hour the air was filled with the sound of dull thuds and grunts as Naruto worked the heavy weight over, battering it with combinations of punches, kicks, elbows and knees before stopping some time later. Though it seemed unorthodox for someone like him to practice in this particular manner, it was something the boy felt he needed to do, especially for the work he was involved with.

There was a lot of heavy lifting involved and, from this hard working youngster's perspective, this routine fed right into it.

Breathing out a satisfied huff, the Uzumaki gave the swinging pendulum he'd been beating on a momentary look over and grinned. After which, he glanced at his calloused knuckles and checked to make sure there wasn't any blood.

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of this," Naruto murmured to himself.

Deciding he'd fulfilled his morning quota of physical activity, the child then headed for his closet, where he quickly discarded his sweaty singlet and boxers, slapped on a new pair, and dumped his damp clothing into his laundry basket along with the rest.

Upon making sure it was all in order, Naruto then ventured out of his apartment and down the hall to the ground floor laundry room. When he arrived there, he helped himself to the machine, cracking open its top, dumping his stuff in along with a cup of detergent, before switching it on and letting the machine do its thing.

Having brought a book down like he normally did, Naruto waited off to the side, absently flipping through the pages of the story and humming at the same time. Eventually, after what felt like forty minutes had ticked by, the boy was interrupted from his daydreaming by a person clearing their throat. When he looked up, he saw a very familiar neighbor standing by the door.

"You again, huh?" the adult, a woman to be exact, with long purple hair tied up into a spiky ponytail asked while leaning against the door frame with a basket of laundry under her own arm.

Immediately recognizing the older woman and not forgetting his manners, Naruto sprouted a smile and waved back at her cheerfully, "Good morning, Anko-sensei."

"Ugh. For the last freakin' time brat, you can either call Anko-_chan_ or Anko-_neechan_. Choose one or the other. I can't stand the instructor's honorific." the kunoichi replied with a shake of her head. After voicing that response, she then took a moment to look the child's boxer-clad form over, which elicited a snort and a smirk from her, "And how many times have I told you to put on some pants when you come down here? Honestly, don't you have any shame?"

"Well, I can ask the same thing about you, _neechan_," Naruto shot back, at the same time pointing out that the young woman was also dressed in only her undergarments. Clad in a pair of white laced panties and bra, the kunoichi had once again decided to come down from her second story apartment to take care of her dirty laundry in the same manner that the blonde had. Since the boy wasn't responding beyond a glare and a shake of his head, it was quite obvious that he'd gotten used to seeing the kunoichi like this. It was a habit he wished she would change.

When Anko saw the blonde glaring at her half-naked form, she merely waved him off and walked into the laundry room to join him. "I've been living here for more than fifteen years now, brat. The people running this place are used to seeing me walking around like this. You however… you're still a new guy."

"So?" Naruto replied, watching the woman plop the basket on top of the sink next to him.

"So?" Anko scoffed, turning to the boy and placing a hand on her hip, "It means you've got five to eight more years before you can even think about walking around this place in your underwear."

"Oh. Well there's some 'fine print' for yah," the blonde responded with a smart-alecky grin, one that the kunoichi answered with one of her own, "I had no idea there were conditions I had to meet before I could start walking around like this."

"Well then, consider yourself informed," Anko said, meeting her neighbor's confidence expression, resulting in a heated standoff that lasted for well over a minute. They quickly gave up on that soon after and returned to their business, with the kunoichi moving to lean against the sink and place her backside to it, "Still waking up every morning to hit the punching bag, huh?"

"Technically it's a wrecking ball I found at a nearby construction site," Naruto replied off-handedly.

"Then that's considered counsel property, you blonde-haired thief," Anko chuckled, not really caring about the fact that her neighbor had practically stolen worksite equipment.

The blonde looked up from his book to shrug, "Nobody was using it, so I decided to take it and put it to better use."

"You know, those things can weigh up to a thousand pounds. How can your ceiling support such a heavy thing?" Anko asked, genuinely curious about how the runt went about solving that little debacle.

"I had a steel frame built especially to support it and brought it up there myself. It wasn't easy, but I eventually made it work," the blonde responded casually, at the same time turning over to the next page of his book.

Smiling at the blonde's zero concern for the situation, Anko turned and looked ahead of her again, "You have some really strange hobbies, you know that?"

"Well… what I do can't be any stranger than watching kids movies in my free time," Naruto replied, simultaneously sparing a smile up at the purple haired woman. "Even though I do the same thing every now and again, at least I'm still a kid."

"Hey, kid movies are great," the kunoichi chirped, also glancing down at the blonde and giving him the business, "I'm just saying that dragging an iron ball around and doing the exercises you do isn't exactly what an ordinary civilian would practice. That's something a shinobi does when working on their skills."

"Yeah, sure. But… I'm just not interested in that stuff," Naruto stated while turning to his book once again. "Being a shinobi and going on missions for your village sounds great and all… but it also means I have to be involved in all the underhanded crap that goes with it, like politics, wars, assassinations and all that other stuff. Personally, I'd rather get strong in my own time and make a living doing ordinary, mundane activities than killing people with a knife and fork."

It was this that had Anko grin, "Hey. You never know. You might actually enjoy it."

"Nope," Naruto shook his head and raised his hand, "Not this guy."

"You're practically half way there anyway, brat," the kunoichi continued while nodding to him in a pointing manner, "You've trained yourself to fight, you know how to perform ninjutsu and you've got a pretty decent set of skills for someone who isn't even training to become a shinobi. Why not sign up for the academy and give it a shot? Forget about working at _Ichiraku's Ramen_ and come over to the fun side for a little while."

"And miss out on employee of the month?" the blonde asked while looking up at the woman again in disbelief. "No way. I've already got a good thing going with ojisan and Ayame-neechan. I don't want to screw it up by shoving something else right in the middle of my busy schedule." He then turned back to the page he was on and frowned. "Besides… it's already too late for me to become a ninja."

"Well… not really," Anko replied while looking ahead of her assuredly, "There _are_ other ways for you to become a shinobi. The academy isn't the only starting point, nor is it the only place for you to learn. If you were to be put in front of the administration board and given the chance to show them what you can do, I'm sure they council would let you into the hidden leaf forces no problem." Seeing the boy continue reading brought a smirk to the woman's face, who then leant over and nudged him gently in the shoulder. "Come on. You're a tough kid and you have a lot of potential to become a great ninja. I've seen it. Hell, I've even given you some pointers and taught you some things over the years. If you're even the least bit interested, I could take you on as an apprentice and show you around the office for a few days."

Remaining silent as he processed the woman's words, Naruto continued to read his book in relative silence. But then, as the drone of the washing machine reached the final stages of its cleaning cycle, the blonde let out a sigh and shut his novel. "Look neechan… years ago… when I was still in the orphanage, there was nothing I wanted to be more than a shinobi. I studied the books, looked at the information, and did everything I needed to do to get admitted into the academy. I was all set and ready to take on the world."

There was a moment of pause there, in which Anko spent the following few seconds in silence looking down at him and listening with her arms crossed.

Feeling her gaze still on him, the blonde went on, a sad smile forming on his face, "But… when I went to the academy and sat myself down in the classroom, nobody wanted to have anything to do with me. The teachers in my subjects acted like I wasn't there, whenever I raised my hand to ask a question I was ignored, and all of the kids didn't want to be anywhere near me. They always ran off whenever I tried to get near them and looked at me like I was part of the scenery. It was so damn depressing and annoying." He then breathed out and pointed up at the kunoichi, "There were only two people in this village who really treated me like a normal person, and that was ojisan and Ayame-neechan from the ramen shop. They were the only ones who actually acknowledged that I was here. The only others I can think of who liked me in any way are you and Iruka-sensei, but I don't nearly see you guys as much as I see Teuchi and Ayame."

Those two pretty much had the most impact on his life than anybody else in this entire town.

Hearing this brought a solemn look to the kunoichi's face, who continued to stare at the boy even when the washing machine came to a stop.

When Naruto started loading up his basket, he continued to speak. "Ojisan and neechan gave me my first big break… so I left the academy and decided to go work for them. They showed me that making ramen could be fun… and I loved every minute of it." After making sure he had all his clothing, the boy hoisted the basket under his arm, stood up, and smiled at the kunoichi. "Their shop was the only place I felt at home… so I decided to stay and learn the business. There's no other reason for it."

Statement made, Naruto turned and started to leave. But just as he reached the doorway, he heard Anko speak.

"Are you… happy working for them?" the woman asked, her words stopping the boy dead in his tracks and drawing his gaze back over to her, "Are you sure working for the ramen shop is what you _really_ want to do?"

Blinking at her question and the genuinely concerned look the kunoichi sent his way, the whisker-marked boy smiled back at her, "Absolutely." Naruto shrugged, "And hey, if I keep at it and keep doing the best that I can, I might even get moved up from a part-time position to a full-time position. And maybe afterwards, if I work hard enough and earn enough favor with the higher-ups… I might even be able to open my own shop some day."

Hearing this drew a smile from Anko, who then nodded in understanding. "You're one hell of a kid, Naruto. I wish you all the best."

"Thanks, neechan," the blonde replied, turning to continue walking but then hesitating. Pursing his lips, he glanced back in, "I'll… see you this Friday for another movie night… yeah?"

"Sure thing little man," Anko saluted, stepping away from the sink and turning back to attend to her laundry. When she did, she then got a wicked look in her eyes and smiled mischievously over her shoulder, "Hey, if you're interested, I'll be washing all my sets of underwear today. _All_ of them." She added to this by allowing one of the bands of her bra to slip down her shoulder. "Want to stick around and watch the show?"

At that, Naruto threw the woman a dirty look, "Even for you, neechan, that's going _way_ too far."

"I'm not hearing a _no~o_," Anko dragged out with a purr at the end.

Shaking his head, the blonde kick-started his heel and started down the corridor, "I've got to get ready for work." And just like that, he was gone.

The kunoichi snickered and called out to him, "Your loss." Staying true to her word, Anko not only tossed all of her clothes into the washing machine, but also the bra and panties she was wearing. This pretty much left her buck nude when she started the machine and leant up against the sink to read the magazine she'd brought down with her.

While she was waiting there with her arms folded and reading material covering her chest from view of the door, she heard a set of keys rattling and looked to see the landlord herself opening the door to her apartment. When the kunoichi's eyes landed on the form of the middle-aged, attractive looking woman with brown hair, spectacles and wearing a blue turtle-neck and jeans staring right back at her, Anko gave her a smile and waved casually.

"Hey, Yuna-chan! How's it hangin'?"

Not looking in the least bit shocked at seeing one of her tenants sitting butt naked on top of the sink in the laundry room, the glasses-wearing owner simply gave her a momentary glare before shaking her head, "Tsk. Ninja women." She then promptly opened the door and shut it behind her.

At first surprised by the building manager's dismissal of her greeting, Anko simply shrugged it off and returned to her reading, humming a happy tune at the same time.

OOO

(Sometime Later)

After shaking off the rather sweltering encounter with his kunoichi neighbor in his building's laundry room, Naruto quickly returned to his apartment to get ready for work. Since he had the midday and afternoon hours at Ichiraku's today, he needed to be as ready as he could be for a long day of cooking, cleaning and serving customers. It was why he was more psyched up than usual.

It wasn't just because he had a seven-hour-plus day ahead of him or the fact that he was going to be able to spend the next few hours hanging out with Ayame-neechan. It was because he was determined to get first place in their area for promotional sales and customer satisfaction. He was going to set a new record for most dumplings sold during the evening period and to do that he was going to have to be charming, professional, and above all, on the ball.

How else was he going to get employee of the month?

For someone aspiring to become something more than he was in the industry, especially in a place like _Ichiraku's Ramen_, it was a great honor.

As a fully-fledged part timer, Naruto was now determined to get to the world stage. So after hanging out his washing to dry outside of his window and splashing water on his face at his sink to rinse himself off, he then quickly rushed over to his closet and slapped on his usual set of clothes. This consisted of a pair of stylish, dark blue cargo pants, a white shirt and an orange, zip-up vest with blue trim and a hood. Upon adorning his outfit, the boy then prepared to head on out, but not before spotting the pendant he'd left lying on the edge of his kotatsu.

"Oh, crap. Almost forgot," Naruto said, quickly jogging over and picking up the relic. Stretching the necklace out between his fingers, he then slipped the band over his head to hang around his neck, before hiding it inside his vest. Breathing out a content sigh, he then nodded at the whirlpool symbol and gripped it between his finger and thumb, "I'm gonna need all the help I can get for this shift."

This pendant was his lucky charm; something he'd had with him ever since he could remember. The Hokage said to him that it was a keepsake from his mother and father, which pretty much made it the most valuable item in his possession.

He carried it with him at all times. The only times he ever took it off was on some nights when he wanted to have a good, long sleep. But now that he was up he could go about having it on his person once again.

Certain that he had everything in order, Naruto wasted no time in throwing on his sandals, dashing out the door and heading for work.

He ran through the streets with purpose, dodging traffic and passing by dozens of other stores lining the road left and right. In just several minutes he arrived at _Ichiraku's Ramen_, entering through the back to the staff room, where the locker and storage areas were positioned. Finding his unit and tossing on his work gear, a tunic and apron, he then moved to the kitchen, where he was promptly greeted by Teuchi and Ayame.

"Morning, ojisan!" Naruto chirped when he saw the old store owner walk by with his arms full of stock from the back.

The father grinned at the cheerful blond. "Hey, Naruto. You're looking happy this morning."

"Of course I'm happy. What? You expect me to rock up to serve customers looking absolutely miserable, jiji?" the whisker-marked youngster asked with a pout, "That's not how I was trained."

"Fair enough," Teuchi chuckled before promptly returning to the front counter.

"Ready for a busy day, Naruto-kun?" the beautiful young daughter of the owner asked when her underclassman finally arrived on the scene.

Tying up his apron, the blonde grinned and gave the woman he viewed as an older sister figure the thumbs up, "You bet I am! The sun's out, the streets are full, and the people are hungry!" Response given, he then grabbed up a sheet of cloth and wrapped it around his head in a bandana to stop his hair from flying loose. As a civilian in a shinobi village, this was what he would consider _his_ Konoha headband, in a manner of speaking. "Let's do this thing."

And that's where his shift for the day inevitably began.

Hands washed and hot plates lined up, Naruto was immediately put to work at the stoves, tasked with cooking the noodles and dicing up the vegetables to be added to all of the orders. After putting their youngest crew member at his station and making sure he was comfortable, Teuchi and Ayame then moved on to completing their own tasks. While the former concentrated on mixing the broths and adding the contents to their respective dishes, making sure the bowls got from the kitchen floor to the counter window, the latter handled the customers and their orders.

The three of them worked in tandem from one stage of the process to the next, meeting their patrons' requests and making sure that all the villagers that stepped through their store's canvas were satisfied. For the first half of the midday shift, it was smooth sailing for the most part.

But then the hour ticked over to lunch period and for all those working the bellows in the backroom, it was all hands on deck. Naruto soon found himself part of the store's famous midday rush hour, where he was constantly cooking new servings of noodles and combinations, which he would then move over to where Ayame was preparing the broth and added the sides to each of the dishes. The pair had to constantly crossover to handle the overflow, as customers came and went by the dozens.

In the first forty-five minutes of lunch, the store made well over two thousand ryo. That was excellent target sales if the managers of the store had anything to say on the matter. Regardless, the three of them kept right on trucking.

Customers came in all shapes and sizes, with a different combination of orders each and every time. Naruto and Ayame made it a game to see if they could predict what the next customer's order would be, even going as far as to make the order ahead of time when they recognized a particular customer enter the store. Even though they were busy as hell, they did everything they could to make the back shift as enjoyable an experience as possible. And, just like always, Naruto was seriously committed to his role, setting himself small tasks to accomplish over the course of his shift and fulfilling each and every one of them in turn.

As the peak hour marched on, Ayame had just finished packing a collection of sealed bowls inside of what looked like a portable cabinet, when it was actually a wooden carrier. After making sure it was tightly fastened and secure, she then turned to her little brother of a colleague and waved him over.

"Naruto-kun! I've got another run for you!"

"Right! Coming!" the blonde replied, setting another two baskets of noodles down and moving over to attend to the young lady's request. Removing his apron and hanging it on the wall, Naruto saw the beautiful waitress smile and direct his attention to the large carrier on the counter.

Handing over the receipt, Ayame watched the child give it a once over before speaking, "An order of ten miso for the academy. Think you can manage it?"

Grinning, the whisker-marked boy gave an affirmative nod, "Piece of cake!" Adjusting his bandana, Naruto wasted no time in turning his back to the 'backpack' and, upon hooking his arms through the rope loops, hoisted it up. "Am I expecting to make any trips down to the training grounds later today?"

"No. Just the academy. But we should be expecting a couple more orders this coming Thursday for practice field three."

"Oh?" Naruto then grinned, "Tenten's team again?"

"Yep," the manager's daughter answered with an amused giggle, "Her and the other members of her squad."

"Do you think it'll be the same order… like it has been every other Thursday morning they've been running laps?"

"We'll see," Ayame answered. Once she saw the boy adjust the case, she then followed him out the back door and watched him limber up on the steps.

Upon making sure that the transport box was securely fastened to his shoulders, the ever energetic youngster turned to face his coworker with a beaming look. Giving the girl a carefree salute and his characteristic grin, the boy then put his hands together and flipped through three hand seals: dog, boar and ram. The moment he finished them, a cloud of white smoke engulfed his body and blocked Ayame's view of him for only a moment.

When the smoke cleared, the store owner's daughter saw a small orange fox emerge from the cloud, tail wagging behind him, a little bandana worn proudly on his head and a miniaturized carrier pack strapped to his back. From the unique coloration of his fur as well as the little additions to his person, the little fox looked almost like a Pokémon; a Fennekin to be exact.

Sitting there with a cute smile on his face, the transformed Naruto gave a cheerful bark. "Be back soon, neechan!"

The sight of the little critter had Ayame giggle, "Aww. I love it when you use this form, Naruto-kun. You look so adorable."

Grinning, the Naruto-fox gave one last swish of his tail before turning heel and scampering off at speed. His departure from the scene was watched on by a handful of civilians and a thoroughly amused ramen chef.

Though an event like this would've been considered unusual for any other villager, to the crew of _Ichiraku's Ramen_, it was just another ordinary day for them.

Thanks to the basic ninjutsu skills he'd been able to pick up over the years, Naruto was able to make cracking progress on his cross-town excursion. Moving through the streets and back alleys without any problems whatsoever, ensuring a smooth transportation and delivery of his goods, the blonde headed straight for the academy building. Hard pressed to get there and back as soon as possible to help with the store's workload, the transformed boy decided to cut across the district' backyards.

This little detour resulted in a momentary encounter with a young woman sweeping leaves off of her back porch. When she saw the fox with the hat and backpack scamper across her yard directly towards her, the mother gave a startled shriek and swiped at it with her broom.

"Shoo! Shoo! Go away!" she screeched, forcing Naruto to duck rather hastily and continue on running.

"Are you crazy, lady?! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" the boy shouted at her when he sprang to the top of the fence and disappeared over it. Shaking his head when he hit the road once more, the fox-boy traveled on, "Honestly… some people…"

After that little brush with death (no pun intended), the delivery boy eventually arrived at the academy. With great strength, agility and dexterity, the youngster clambered up the building via its gutter and accessed the second story window. When he did, it was just a quick dash down the corridor before his inevitable arrival at the cafeteria.

Naruto's delivery was professional and prompt. After distributing the orders to the Chunin in the lounge, all with a brilliant smile in play, the boy thanked them for their services before quickly rushing back to the store. As per his normal habits, he chose to forgo the conventional exit and dove straight out the window he'd used to access the building in the first place. Doing so allowed him to avoid the labyrinth of hallways through the institute and allowed for a smooth transition back onto the main streets.

Minutes later, he was back at Ichiraku's and back in action. Though on most other days he would have to deliver more orders across the village, today was a lot more easygoing on the crew of the noodle stand. All of their usual patrons chose to get their orders directly from the store and thanks to that the three of them were as busy as ever.

Eventually, when the rush of customers died down following two more hours of broth and sweat, the once hectic environment of the kitchen area returned to a normal, easygoing pace. Once again, Teuchi, Ayame and Naruto were able to rest easy and continue serving the individual customers that came through after the busy period. This reprieve allowed the back and front crew to attend to their cleaning duties, as well as to check and make sure their stocks were all in order.

This was where the next change in Naruto's daily schedule took place. After counting the supplies with a pen and paper, Teuchi then approached the youngster's post over by the sink, where he arrived just in time to see the boy rinse out the last of his bowls. When the youngster set the dish aside and gave the old man his full, undivided attention, the store manager smiled.

"How are you coping today, Naruto?"

"Oh, I'm doing great, jiji," the jinchuriki replied, at the same time bringing up his arm, tensing his bicep and clenching it with his free hand confidently. "We were able to get through every single order without a single screw-up."

Teuchi chuckled at his crew member's enthusiasm, "That's good to hear."

The young man then pointed over his shoulder towards the trash can in the corner, "There were only a couple of expired products that needed to be tossed out today, including a tofu pack and some bad unions. But aside from them, there's no other waste that needs to be accounted for." He turned back to the shop owner to see him acknowledge his report by quickly jotting it down in his pad. "Do you think we're going to get first place in the area for most sales for the day?" Naruto asked earnestly.

"Well, we certainly got first place for customer satisfaction. I have both you and my daughter's radiant personalities to thank for that. Great job," the old man replied, sparing his student a wide smile, "And don't worry. Just a couple more shifts and you'll finally be made a permanent member of our crew, Naruto-kun. Soon… you'll be able to open and close this place all by yourself."

Brightening up at this news, Naruto all but leapt with excitement, "Awesome! Thanks so much, jiji."

Pleased to see the boy was happy with this information, the store owner quickly jotted down something else into his pad before handing a sheet of paper over to his youngest crew member. "Anyway, its three o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon now and I've got another errand for you to run, kiddo."

Naruto had worked in the backroom, the kitchen, made a delivery during the rush for lunch and had tended to the dishes simultaneously. After going through these chores and making ends meet for the store during one of its busiest hours, there was only one other major thing the blonde needed to do for the day. His expression brightening at the prospect, the boy stepped forward.

"Time to make the pre-evening stock run?"

"That's right," Teuchi nodded, a warm smile tugging at his lips when he saw Naruto take the paper from his hand and look it over. "I've included a list of everything we need from bags of flour to frozen chickens. You don't have to worry about the last batch of expired products we received in last week's shipment. I'll have a word with the supplier about that on a later date. For now, just make sure we get all the stock we need to make it through to next week, alright?" Knowing how the youngster acted, he knew that this job was right up the apprentice's alley.

Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto held the paper tightly in one hand and gave his boss an affirmative nod, "You can count on me, sir. I'll have this stuff back before you can say 'noodles'."

OOO

(Sometime Later)

Across the village and standing on the edge of the warehouse district, Naruto found himself wrapping up business with the men he was sent to meet by Teuchi. Having made this run over a hundred times in the past, the blonde knew exactly where he needed to go and who he needed to speak with to collect the supplies for the restaurant.

Needless to say, this was the best middleman assignment he could possibly ask for from the owners of the ramen stand. It gave him the perfect chance to not only work on his people skills, but his physical prowess as well.

The reason for this will be revealed soon enough.

"Is that everything then?" Naruto asked while dropping the last bag of flower onto the pile he had collecting at his feet.

After checking the line and making sure nothing was left unaccounted for, the storage center's shift manager, a middle-aged man with dark hair and wearing a workman's tunic and slacks, gave his documents one last nod of approval before then giving his blonde haired visitor a thumbs up, "Yeah. You're all good here. I just need you to sign for it and then you can be on your way."

"Sweet," Naruto replied, taking the pen and board from the villager and scribbling along the dotted line. After which he handed the pad back and turned his attention to the stuff he was now expected to drag all the way to _Ichiraku's Ramen_. "Man. I never actually realized how much of this stuff ojisan uses every week. It's unreal."

"Well, it _is_ a small restaurant… and a popular one at that. You'd be surprised how much stock a place like Ichiraku's can get through in a month." The shift manager, who'd had this kind of exchange many times before with the youngster, gestured to the supplies he had stacked up on the floor and smiled, "Are you sure you don't want me to call you a carriage to transport all this back to the store?" Considering the fact that all of the goods had been loaded onto an industrial sized pallet crate, flour bags, vegetables, meat and all, you could understand the man's immediate concern.

This kid didn't seriously think he could haul all of this back to the middle of the village all by himself?

Of course, the worker already knew the answer to that question.

"Nah. It's fine. Compared to what I'm used to lifting, this stuff is as light as a feather," the eleven year old remarked confidently.

"Heh. I'll bet," the manager replied, still looking thoroughly entertained. "Just make sure you don't trip over anything on your way back. You don't want another disaster happening like last month."

Naruto laughed nervously, "Yeah… that was just embarrassing." The blonde remembered stumbling on one of his earlier trips and losing half of everything he was carrying, including the cartons of eggs on top of his pile, all over the floor. Not to mention a woman that happened to be standing nearby, who ended up covered in yoke. While everything else had remained intact, the blonde still had to make a quick detour to one of the nearby supermarkets after apologizing profusely to the poor lady. That meant his run across town took fifteen minutes longer than it usually did, which in his line of work was a really bad thing.

While it'd been funny trying to explain his little debacle to old man Teuchi, it'd still been a very harrowing and uncomfortable experience.

"Give my best to Teuchi-san for me," the manager exclaimed with a metaphorical tip of a hat to the youngster.

"Will do," Naruto replied gleefully, "Thanks again, Shinoda-san."

With one last wave, the blonde turned his attention to the crate of goods lying on the floor and waiting for his attendance. Upon making sure all of it was sitting comfortably inside the box, the blonde stepped forward, bent over, and without so much as a grunt, picked the two meter by two meter pallet and propped it on top of his shoulder. Then, as if he were carrying an ordinary box of stuff, began marching for the noodle bar.

For the next several blocks, Naruto was subject to some of the most astonished gazes he'd ever seen on the villagers' faces. While he would have thought the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods would have already gotten used to the sight of an eleven year old boy hauling over four hundred kilograms of supplies on his shoulder through the streets instead of a wagon, apparently they hadn't. Regardless, the blonde simply ignored the strange and bewildered stares he was receiving from people and merely waved back at them pleasantly.

In no time flat, he was back at Ichiraku's and unloading the goods into the storage room, where he spent the next half an hour counting up and making sure it was all in the right place.

Then, after making sure all of the goods were safely in storage, Naruto took his break. Taking a seat in the backroom, he had himself a refreshing bowl of miso ramen over a comic he'd left in the store on his last shift to read during the half hour reprieve. Once he'd rested his legs and settled his nerves, he then headed out to the front counter, where he promptly switched places with Teuchi.

Apron and bandana worn proudly, the blonde spent the evening portion of his shift serving customers and taking their orders. For the first hours of that late afternoon, it was easy going for him and Ayame, with very little to no dilemmas to speak of. But then, like a storm on the wind, things started to pick up around dinner time when the stand started to get more and more customers, followed by the next series of rushes for that evening moving into night.

Soon, every single one of their seats was loaded…

And Naruto was enjoying every minute of it.

The blonde smiled towards the customers, asked them what they would like to order, and received warm, pleasant smiles in return for his professional services. Furthermore, when the customers eventually got their orders and started eating, the boy also took a few moments of his time to make friendly banter with a handful of the patrons, which really added to the experience of working up the front. This was yet another one of the many highlights Naruto was privileged to be a part of and not one he was willing to squander so easily.

After another rush of customers had come and gone, and Naruto was given a minute or two to clear the counter space, he was then interrupted from his duties by the arrival of another customer. Looking up from his work, the boy was quick to blink in surprise when he saw the familiar face of one of the academy instructor's, Iruka Umino, take the seat directly in front of him and smile in his direction.

The sudden appearance of the man brought a grin to the blonde's face. "Oh. Hey there, Iruka-sensei."

"Hey, Naruto. What's crackin'?"

The whisker-marked boy straightened up and gestured toward the store, "Well, we were swamped about twenty minutes ago and had to deal with a butt-load of orders, but aside from that… everything's great." The blonde leant against the counter and grinned across at the Chunin, whom he saw give a chuckle in return for his hearty exclamation. "How are things going up at the academy?"

"The usual. Grading papers, teaching the kids, and trying to deal with the troublemakers," Iruka replied, leaning to the side to wave at Ayame through the kitchen window. When the young woman responded in kind, the scar-faced man looked back at the blonde and shrugged, "I can't complain really. All of the kids are doing just fine."

"I'll bet. I see a lot of them come through here over the week," Naruto said, at the same time pointing towards the restaurant's seats. "Kiba, Ino, Sakura, Choji… _especially_ Choji. You wouldn't believe how much he loves this store. He comes in here almost as much as I do… and I _work_ here!" In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if the Akimichi decided to pop in here later that night for an after-dinner snack.

Hearing this brought a slight laugh from the young shinobi, "From what I can see, it looks as though you're doing just fine here, Naruto."

Raising an eyebrow at the Chunin's remark, the spiky haired chef grinned, "I hope you didn't come all the way down here from the academy just to check up on me and see how I was doing, sensei. Last time I looked, I wasn't a student at the academy anymore."

"Hey, can you blame me? I worry about you," Iruka answered with a shrug. "After all, you and I both came out of the same institute and we both have to pay rent on a weekly basis. The landlords can be a pain in the ass too, depending on what kind of a mood they're in. I'm sure you can understand why I can be so stubborn about these sorts of things."

Rolling his eyes at his former homeroom teacher's woes, Naruto pulled up his notepad and pen, "Well… since I'm trying to earn a living here and save up for a new place, why don't you help me out a little bit, sensei? What can I get for you?" A sneaky question if there ever was one. If his ex-academy teacher was going to go through all this trouble of looking out for him while he was working, then he was going to have the man contribute to his income the only way he knew how.

Chuckling at how the adolescent quickly switched subjects, Iruka nodded to the child affirmatively and cracked a grin, "I think you know what my usual dish is, Naruto. I'll have _that_ with a side of tea, thanks. The whole pot."

Grinning widely, the jinchuriki turned towards the window leading out to the back and cupped a hand over his mouth, "You heard the man, Ayame-neechan; a number one and some micro brew, on the double."

"Already on it!" the brown haired young lady responded, pulling up a bowl and pouring in the broth.

In just a few seconds, Iruka found a serving of steaming hot miso ramen and tea sitting directly in front of him. Being sure to thank the restaurant staff for their hard work and the spirits for a bountiful harvest this year, the Chunin wasted no time in diving into his dinner. As usual, the broth and noodles was spot on. Not a single pinch of salt was out of place.

What else could he expect from the finest ramen joint in town?

As far as he knew, Naruto was well on his way to becoming one of the finest chefs in the village, if he wasn't one already. No matter what it was, as long as the boy set his mind to it and was passionate about it, the youngster was absurdly good at what he did.

Upon finishing his first bowl and seeing his former student serve another two customers, Iruka asked for a personal dish from his student, who wasted no time in hitting the backroom to make the man a 'Western Special' ramen. He soon returned a couple minutes later with a hot bowl of noodles, which not only had egg and choy sum in it, but a collection of other meats that complimented the region it was born from. Naturally Iruka was deeply impressed at his second serving and addressed this concern with Naruto immediately afterwards.

"You're turning out to be a fine cook, Naruto," the Chunin spoke with a grin, at the same time balancing his teacup in his hands.

"I take it you liked the meal then?" the blonde asked while loading up empty bowls into his arm and at the same time waving to the patrons ducking out through the exit.

"Absolutely," Iruka concluded, at the same time saluting the restaurant's managers working in the backroom. "There's no doubt about it. Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan are taking super good care of you. I can expect nothing less from the father and daughter who feed the entire village. They get more customers to this little stand then most fast food restaurants on the main street do."

"Well, they are like my family… and they're the best at what they do. Hell, I can't think of anyone who can make better ramen than ojisan and Ayame-neechan," the youngster added, at the same time smiling sincerely across at his former teacher. Upon setting the dishes on the sill and allowing Ayame to take them, Naruto quickly hopped back over to the counter to return to his conversation. "They cook great food, they make people smile, and they built this place from the ground up. After all of the stuff I've seen them do and the amount of people they've met over the years, both villagers and famous ninja alike, I can say with absolute certainty that there is no other place I'd rather be than here, doing the same amazing work that they do."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Naruto," Teuchi spoke up from the back while leaning forward to peak through the window, and grin at his customer and pupil. The moment his head came into view, the old man then pulled out a spatula and started waving it about like a war hammer, "Remember: a man can strive to become anything he wants to be. He's the master of his own world and universe. All he has to do is work hard, believe, and with the right amount of dedication and effort, hell, he could even create his own kingdom if he wanted to. Even a ramen chef like me could conquer the world with just a knife and ladle."

"Dad! Knock it off," Ayame exclaimed, appearing alongside the restaurant owner to scowl at him, "Honestly, you can say the weirdest things sometimes."

Iruka chuckled when he watched Ayame pull her father back into the kitchen by the ear, blushing from one side of her face to the other and muttering to the man about how embarrassing he could be. After seeing the woman of the building literally take control of the situation, the Chunin glanced back at his former student to see him beaming in delight, "He's got a point, you know."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, looking absolutely cheerful as he raised his fist towards the man, "I don't care how long it takes. Just like ojisan said; one of these days I'm going to get out there, hit the road, and conquer the world with an iron ladle."

That had to be one of the first inspirational talks he remembered Ayame's father ever giving him… and boy had it stuck.

"Heh. With that amount of energy and confidence, I bet you could actually pull it off," Iruka laughed, taking a sip of his tea and setting the cup down gently. "How do you think you'll go about accomplishing this lofty scheme of yours?"

"Oh. I've got a plan," the youngster answered, at the same time prodding the side of his head. "Don't you worry about that; it's all safely locked up in here…"

"I see," the Chunin replied, shaking his head while taking a moment to look the grinning boy over. After a moment of further examination, the shinobi gave him a satisfied stare. "It's a shame that you stopped attending my classes, Naruto. You were one of the most talented students I ever had and you showed a lot of promise."

That goes without saying; Iruka remembered one of Naruto's most prevailing strengths had in fact been his ridiculous body strength.

The kid was tough. Hell, he was even stronger than most Chunin, a trait he probably picked up from his daily weight-lifting routines and running all over the village while carrying mass amounts of stuff on his shoulders. If he wanted to, if he really, _really_ wanted to, Iruka was positive the blonde would be able to wishbone a full-grown male with his bare arms.

That was a spine chilling thought if he ever had one.

"Perhaps… if you had stayed on like the others, I would have turned you into a splendid shinobi."

"Yeah, well… maybe being a shinobi wasn't really for someone like me," Naruto said, straightening up, placing his hands on his hips and giving the man a firm look. "I mean, the food is awesome, I'm busy every day, and the people here are nice to me… a lot nicer than I remember them being while I was attending the academy."

This comment actually earned a momentary frown from the Chunin, one that went amiss by the youngster behind the counter.

In all good conscience, Iruka knew exactly what his former student was saying, or what he was implying.

Being the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the greatest force of nature on the face of this planet and, as of eleven years ago, one of the greatest calamities to ever fall upon the village, the people of the hidden leaf didn't trust Naruto in the slightest.

They viewed him as someone who was dangerous; someone who was unbalanced and unstable, a bomb that could blow up at any given moment. This was made especially worrisome when people learned he was training to become a shinobi and attending school with other children. The Chunin actually recalled in his first few weeks at the start of the term the amount of complaints he received from parents regarding their sons and daughters taking lessons alongside the 'monster'.

Honestly, it was a depressing thing to be a part of; to be the one receiving these complaints and having to put up with the people's hatred of the boy. When lobbying to have the blonde removed from the academy didn't work, the parents then told their children to stay as far away from Naruto as possible and to leave him alone. It was a change that drastically altered the environment around the youngster within the school, something that Iruka immediately took notice of and frowned upon. In fact, the act of isolating the youngster became so bad the Chunin honestly believed this trend would inevitably lead to a negative effect on the boy by way of his future development as a shinobi.

The man began taking steps to prevent such an eventuality.

But then, out of nowhere, Naruto suddenly decided to leave the school to pursue a different career.

While this certainly came as a shock to Iruka to see the boy leave after only a semester at the academy, when he decided to pop in to see how the blonde was doing, he soon learned from the boy himself that he'd taken on a new hobby; one that he enjoyed above everything else.

Apparently, Teuchi and Ayame had managed to curry Naruto's favor when he came into their restaurant one day and asked them if they could teach him how to make his own ramen. After the first few lessons, in which the blonde spent in the warm and pleasant company of the only two people in this village who treated him like a normal person, aside from Iruka, Anko and the Hokage, he became obsessed with the kitchen.

To put it bluntly, they'd seduced him, but not in a bad way.

Of course, even though it seemed like a minor brainwashing exercise, it made sense. Naruto was young and still trying to find a purpose in life. When something appetizing came along that involved his most favorite things in the world, he literally jumped at the opportunity.

Talk about a bait and switch.

Thanks to the help of the father and daughter, Naruto had been able to transition into front counter work at the store with little to no problems whatsoever.

"And besides… there's a limit to what a shinobi can actually do in this world. There are all these rules and regulations that they have to follow, and a shinobi from _Konohagakure_ can't exactly go visit a place like _Iwagakure _or_ Kumogakure_, now can they? Not without special permission and all that noise." The jinchuriki then smirked and thumbed at his chest. "Freelancers like me though… I can go anywhere I want. The last things I need are boundaries and people telling me I can't visit this place. Heh… no way, I want to be free to follow the path that I want to walk and travel across this continent."

Grinning when he heard his words and saw the familiar emotions of joy, determination and exuberance burning in his eyes, Iruka gave the young man an understanding nod. Upon which he reached into his pocket, deposited what he owed on the front counter and stood up. "You make a really good point, Naruto." Seeing the kid look back at him respectfully, the Chunin nodded to him and turned. "For what it's worth… you would have made a great ninja."

With one last smile and a wave, the instructor took his leave, ducking out of the store and heading on his way.

Following that lively encounter, Naruto was soon able to carry on with his work, going through dozens of more customers before, after another hour of hard grinding later, inevitably reached the closing stages of his shift.

After shutting the stand's front, a half hour was spent cleaning the place and stocking up the front for tomorrow. Once everything was cleaned and dinner had been organized for all three of them, the jinchuriki was able to head on his way with a bag of ramen takeaway under his arm and a sense of fulfillment weighing on his shoulders. He bid Teuchi and Ayame goodnight and began following the road back home.

On his way he stopped by the convenience store and bought more toilet paper, as well as eggs, carrots, cucumbers, and milk for his fridge. When he got home, he packed his stuff away, took the washing off of the line, and sat down to watch some television with dinner.

Upon enjoying a good meal, Naruto then went out and hit the public baths just down the street, deciding to cool off his last hours soaking and scrubbing himself down for the night. The blonde always loved a good dip at the end of the day, and usually mixed it up between the public baths in his neighborhood and the hot springs over in the entertainment district. Though he preferred the natural pools heated by the earth as well as the tranquil environment that came with it, a normal soak was always just as good.

Once he was satisfied and had managed to work all the knots out of his body, the blonde dried himself off and headed back to his apartment, where he wasted no time pulling out his blanket and falling asleep right there on the floor.

Smile on his face, the whisker-marked boy hugged his pillow to him comfortably and breathed a sigh of relief. "Another day, another dollar."

As far as he knew, he was making cracking progress. It wouldn't be long now before he was promoted from part-time employee of Ichiraku's to a full-time, working member of the business.

When Naruto finally nodded off minutes later, sprawled out under his duvet and snoring away the nightly air of his room, he failed to notice the whirlpool pendant resting on his bare chest glow a bright orange for a brief moment, before fading back to normal.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: I think this chapter pretty much covers Naruto's working routine. It also shows what he does in his free time and what kind of a person he's growing up to become.

Basically, in coming up with this story, if I didn't mention this earlier, I took my inspiration from the very first version of Naruto Kishimoto came up with, where Naruto was able to transform into a literal fox. Thinking about it a little more, I think the henge technique is a really versatile jutsu in the series, and it really helped me in constructing this idea. When Gamabunta and Naruto used it in their fight with Shukaku, they were able to take on the physical properties of the Kyuubi, and were able to use its tails to rip trees out of the ground and throw them at Skukaku.

I'm really looking forward to where I can take this story.

More on this later. :)

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.


	3. A Whole New Flavor

**NARUTO**

**The Part-Timer**

_A Whole New Flavor_

(A Week Later)

Finding himself at home that day, Naruto could be seen standing in his kitchen area over a hot stove and pot, working on his latest and craziest concoction ever. Considering he was still an apprentice of sorts, one who was in the process of developing his craft to perfection, the boy knew he had to use every opportunity he could to either improve his cooking skills or his form.

Whether this applied to cuisine or not it was all a matter of perspective. All he knew was that a healthy mind and body was the most important thing for a chef in the shinobi world to have. He had to be ready for just about anything.

Smiling happily to himself as he mixed and stirred the broth around in its pot, the boy would every so often pull away to check on the condition of his noodles sitting right next to it. After being sure to toss them so that they didn't stick together or lose their texture, he quickly went back to his brew and glanced at the notebook he had opened up beside him.

Having written many recipes in it over the course of his internship at _Ichiraku's Ramen_, the boy not only had with him a secondary collection of all of the dishes the store had available to the public, but pages upon pages of new and potential ideas to try out. It was this very aspect of the book the blonde was trying out right now; a new ramen, a new broth, and probably his next great masterpiece.

Borrowing from the experiences he'd managed to gain from his time at the small restaurant, the boy stirred the contents of the vessel thoroughly, being sure that the flavor was kept balanced. Seeing the chicken bob around inside the mixing area along with a collection of vegetables and herbs, the boy hummed cheerfully to himself and tapped his foot patiently. Glancing at his watch, the youngster soon decided that enough time had passed and shut off the stove.

Tossing the noodles one last time and popping them into a separate bowl, the blonde then motioned to add his compote.

"Okay. Time for a taste test," Naruto whispered. Picking a spoon and stirring the contents of his dish, the young connoisseur then held it up to his nose, smelled it, and then took his first spoonful. Though he normally would have tried it directly, right out of the pot, it was the absolute end result he was more interested in.

Sipping it carefully, he clicked and rolled his tongue several times, as if juggling the juice from taste bud to taste bud. Giving an extremely satisfied sound, feeling the broth sink down the back of his throat, he then used the pair of chopsticks to try out the noodles. Trying both elements separately was important for a ramen specialist, and the boy did not want to anger the noodle Gods for rushing the process too quickly.

It was absolutely essential that he got this right.

Slurping the strands up, Naruto chewed for a few seconds, also getting a feel for their taste before swallowing. Scrunching his face up thoughtfully, the blonde then drew his pencil from his ear and scribbled across the pages of his book.

"Note: use egg noodles instead of udon to help better distribute the flavor." Pausing for a moment at the bottom of the section, the blonde looked up for a moment and continued on writing with a smile on his face. "The recipe is smooth, easy on the throat and tickles the skin in a very pleasant way. Consider making this my new ale to soothing cold-and-flu symptoms."

Ha. Try to make a new ramen and he instead made a new type of chicken soup. Who'd have thought?

Giving a cheerful verse, Naruto shut his book, took his bowl and headed over to his apartment table, where he plopped himself down and decided to watch some television.

All things considered, he believed he'd made a terrific breakthrough today.

OOO

(A Few Days Later)

Looking over the document laid out before him, a fair yet serious Hiruzen Sarutobi, cloaked in his familiar white robe and oddly shaped Kage hat, gave the request presented to him the longest thought he'd ever given a civilian related document in his many years of service. After making sure to check every detail inscribed upon it, as well as paying extra attention to what it entailed, he then looked up and across the table, where he saw Teuchi of _Ichiraku's Ramen_ standing with a serious look of his own framing his face.

"So you want to send him up _there_ to help?"

"That's right, Hokage-sama," the old shop owner chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously while regarding his submission with great intent, "I hope it won't be too much trouble. It's not like I don't know his position in the village or anything like that, but…"

Sensing his anxiousness, the elder and protector of the community smiled and, after one last peruse over the paperwork, gave the man his answer, "There's no problem with it at all. He's a civilian and one who is entitled to the same freedoms as everybody else. As long as nobody blabbers about the current state of affairs regarding our village's military strength and assets, then we shouldn't have any problems at all."

This answer drew a relieved yet much needed sigh from the ramen chef, "Oh. That's good. I'm sure Naruto-kun will be very happy to hear this."

"I bet he will," the Hokage chuckled, pulling out his stamp and slamming it down on the document. Passing it over to the Chunin next to him, he then gestured for the runner to take it over to the next official in charge of that information and watched him hurry off to carry out his task. "This paperwork will act as an insurance card for him; letting the _Kumogakure_ authorities know that they have absolutely no quarrels with the boy. Since he's just an ordinary villager and worker with a remarkable skill set, as long as he doesn't go about doing anything that'll draw any unwanted attention to him, he'll be safe."

"I'll be sure to remind him to keep his other, more noticeable abilities in check before he goes," Teuchi said happily with an amused grin forming on his face.

"It's not like you have anything to worry about anyway," the Hokage assured, lacing his fingers together in front of him and setting it down on the table. "As long as the circumstances remain unchanged and the information blockers on this side of the spectrum continue to hold, then you and I have nothing to worry about."

"Hokage-sama… for all I know, Naruto-kun doesn't even have the fox spirit inside of him," Teuchi stated, giving the man his uttermost opinion on the matter.

Acknowledging this with a kind smile, the elder then had his attention drawn back to his left, where he saw his Chunin squire return from the civilian affairs section with scroll in hand. The processing complete, the leader of the hidden leaf then passed the document over to Teuchi, who took it from his village overseer gratefully. "I hope things continue to work out for all of you. Give my best to young Naruto-kun."

"Yes. Of course." Thanking the Hokage with a bow, Teuchi quickly straightened up and took his leave, exiting through the same door of the mission office he'd come through. As soon as the ramen master was gone, he was quickly replaced by a Genin team who, while being led by their teacher and team captain, were led over to the desks to the right of the chamber to discuss the details of their most recent mission.

While business proceeded on their floor, and the shinobi and staff continued to work tirelessly with sorting the many files and documents littering their desks, the Hokage sat back in his seat with his fingers pressed together. Eyes set on the door ahead of him, a series of serious thoughts slowly crossed his mind.

"_As far as the rest of the village and the five great nations are concerned, __**we're**__ still in the possession of the Kyuubi. To the countries outside of our borders, the identity of the Nine-Tails' host remains completely unknown, but to all those inside of the village, everyone believes it is Naruto who is the entity's container."_

Now, while this information was all well and good in keeping with the status quo to ensure their nation's continued peace and safety, since the rest of the world believed that their village was still a major super power on the grand stage, there was one big problem that they had yet to acknowledge; one that Hiruzen had kept secret for the last several years.

It is true that the whole of _Konohagakure_ believes that Naruto is still the current container of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. The rest of the world too thinks that the hidden leaf is keeping the beast safely under lock and key.

But while the people believed one thing, the truth was that the Kyuubi, according to all those that were there on the night and had invested so much time and effort in making sure it was kept sealed up, _**it**_ no longer existed.

With the death of Minato and his wife Kushina, for some unexplained reason, the fox had just suddenly up and disappeared. There was just no explaining it… and it was a fact that has troubled Hiruzen's mind for the past twelve years.

"_I only hope that nothing bad comes of this hidden truth,"_ the Third thought to himself with a firm gaze set on the future.

OOO

(The very next morning)

Jogging down the street with a sunny look on his face and his lucky pendant dangling from his neck, Naruto was all fired up for another busy day at work. Dodging traffic while at the same time making his way into the center of the village, the blonde shortly found himself skidding to a screeching halt on the doorstep of his favorite place in the whole world.

Being sure to kick the dirt off of his sandals, Naruto then opened the door, where he was promptly greeted by the business's owner Teuchi. The man stood waiting patiently for the blonde in the middle of the cooking area with his arms folded and a dish towel tossed professionally over his shoulder.

Naruto acknowledged the man as he normally did with a grin and a wave the moment his eyes fell upon the store's proprietor, "Hey, oji-san. Ready for another busy day?"

"Always," Teuchi chuckled, seeing the kid unzip his vest and practically skip on over to him, "But never mind that now. I've got some big news for you, kiddo."

A confused look quickly fell over the youngster's face, "Big news? What about?"

"Oh. I'm sure you have an idea of what it is," the chef grinned, quickly reaching into his apron pouch and pulling out a sash with the kanji for 'noodle master' written on it. The sight of it had the boy's eyes widen in shock, a reaction that drew a quiet giggle from Ayame observing nearby. "I hope I got your specifications right. Congratulations, Naruto-kun. You're now a full time member of _Ichiraku's Ramen_."

Taking the sash as soon as it was extended to him, Naruto weighed it in his hands like it were a gold-plated trophy. Upon studying the embroidery and how it complimented the white strip of fabric, the boy then sprouted the widest grin anyone had ever seen on him before he raised his arms in triumph. "YATTA!" He then threw himself at Teuchi and hugged the man in earnest. "Thank you so much, oji-san. Thank you."

"That's alright, kid," the man chuckled, patting him on the head, "Remember: never stop trying and never give up. Being a ramen chef in a shinobi world is a constant battle for supremacy. So don't let your guard down no matter what, okay?"

"I won't," Naruto replied, looking at the man with shimmering eyes before disengaging and moving over to Ayame. When the young woman approached him, the boy almost instantly threw himself at her too, gathering her up in a hug that she returned with gusto. "Thank you so much for everything, Ayame-neechan."

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun," Ayame congratulated with tears in her own eyes. The boy was so happy and radiant right now that his emotions were literally reverberating across the whole establishment, including the restaurant's owners.

Teuchi was sure to discreetly wipe his eyes clear with his thumb, sniffing away the rest of it when he saw Naruto move off of the person he viewed as an older sister.

Beaming with pride, the blonde wasted no time in wrapping the sash around his head. Tying it up back, Naruto gave a jolly laugh as he then stood in the middle of the kitchen and checked himself out in the small mirror hanging just below the overhead clock. The sight of the symbol atop his head drew a proud nod from the apprentice connoisseur.

"Damn, I look good."

"It suits you really well," Ayame remarked, beaming from the sidelines while the boy struck a couple of poses.

"With this… I'm one step closer to my ultimate goal," Naruto exclaimed, forming a fist and holding it up, "To be the greatest ramen chef ever! Man, I can't wait."

"Well then, I should probably move on before that gap between you and your most lofty of ambitions gets any wider," Teuchi spoke up, drawing Naruto and Ayame's attention toward him.

"Huh? What do you mean by that, jiji?"

Teuchi puffed his chest out and set his hands on his hips, "Now that you're a fully fledged ramen chef, I think you're more than ready to take on the responsibility. I've got a very important job for you, Naruto." The man then thumbed over his shoulder, "A friend of mine from _Kumogakure_ wrote to me a couple days ago, saying that he needs some help bringing in a new line of noodle dishes to the market. He's started up a store of his own in the village to the North and would very much appreciate it if somebody with Ichiraku experience dropped by to assist him in his endeavor. He said that if we helped him out, he would trade us a couple of his special diet recipes. All things considered, I think they will make a fine addition to our menus."

With every word he spoke he saw Naruto's eyes widen and twinkle, and upon making his concluding view on the matter, he saw Ayame nod her head in approval.

Beaming with pride towards his apprentice, the store owner gave him an all-knowing grin, "Well, Naruto? What do you say? Do you want to go to _Kumogakure_ for a couple of weeks as our store's chief representative?"

A grin quickly forming when he was able to process what Teuchi had just said to him, the blonde brought his fist up and bumped it against his chest, "A mission? To _Kumogakure_? You can count on me, oji-san."

"Excellent," the store holder replied, glad to see that his most energetic worker was up for it, "Pack your bags, kid. You'll be leaving right away." He then pulled the familiar scroll out from his pouch and handed it over to him, "I'm aware that this may be your first trip outside of the country, so don't forget to bring your identification papers with you… and try not to draw any attention to yourself. I had all of this arranged with the administration office yesterday, so you'll be able to stroll in and out of Kumo without any problems. Normally they wouldn't ask for any documentation on entry, but just in case you happen to be pulled over, you'd want to have these with you."

"Sweet." Naruto took the scroll from the man and pocketed it. "Don't worry, jiji. I will not let you down." And when he said that, he meant it.

OOO

(A little while later)

Completely psyched for his trip, Naruto wasted no time in gathering up his uniform and rushing back home to pack his bags. It didn't take him long to get his hands on everything he needed. All he really had to bring was an extra change of clothes, a towel, toiletries, his notebook, and a collection of utensils he figured he'd use sometime over his trip.

He was a fulltime chef now. Pots and carving knives were incredibly important to someone like him, especially for a trip like this.

In order to better transport his gear, Naruto had most of his utensils packed away inside of a scroll, which he could bring out and put back in whenever he wanted. The whole art of packing made it feel like he was going on an actual camping holiday, when in reality it was just a business venture to another village.

Hopefully he wouldn't encounter any roadblocks along the way or at the front gates. That would just ruin an otherwise pleasant excursion.

Civility when civility was needed. That's what he was counting on.

Anyway, after packing up all of his equipment and dressing into his normal uniform, which consisted of his orange, hooded vest with blue short sleeves, green combat slacks and blue sandals, Naruto then locked up his apartment, saddled up his gear and headed off to the gates. He double-checked to make sure he had all of his documents on him as well.

"Yo, brat. Going somewhere?" a cheerful Anko asked when she passed Naruto on the stairs while on her way up to her apartment.

"You bet I am. I'm heading up to _Kumogakure_ on important, ramen-making business," the blonde replied enthusiastically, being sure to face the woman properly with a big smile on his face. "I've never been to that village before, but I'm sure it will be awesome."

The purple haired woman whistled, "Kumo aye? Shinobi from our village don't normally visit that place very often." The kunoichi in the trench coat shrugged her shoulders off-handedly, "It probably has something to do with the many 'disagreements' we've had with each other over the past couple of decades. A lot of people with a lot grudges, you know… that sort of thing."

"Well… thank Kami I'm not a shinobi, otherwise this mission will be impossible to complete," Naruto chuckled, giving the woman a salute before continuing his descent of the stairs. "Tell the super that I'll be away for a few days… and watch out for my apartment while I'm gone, okay, Anko-neechan?"

"Will do, brat. Have fun," Anko called back, waving the blonde off and seeing him disappear around the corner seconds later. _"Damn, he moves fast."_

When Naruto arrived at the main entrance to the village with his orange backpack hanging comfortably from his shoulders, the blonde greeted the Chunin watching from the side and strolled right on by. He met a few people walking in and out of the leaf, including a traveler pulling a horse and cart down the road with him, and none of them were stopped by the guards. The youngster was sure to tip the metaphorical hat to the man before heading on his way, hoping for a smooth and peaceful journey.

What other journey could he possibly want besides an adventurous one? The way he saw it, this trek he was starting across the country _was_ an adventure.

Being one of the first times he'd ever been outside of _Konohagakure_, the blonde drank in all of the scenery he could as he marched along. From the dirt road at his feet, to the forests growing on the edges and to the rolling hills and valleys stretching from one horizon to the next, the landscape was simply breathtaking. The sun was high, the sky was clear, and the gentle breeze wafting over the countryside was cool and refreshing.

Ideal country weather. What more could a traveler ask for?

Not much, because Naruto's march for the North started off swimmingly.

For the next couple hours the blonde strolled across the country, following the map he'd brought along with him. Not only did he take his time getting his fill of the land, he also alternated his walking speeds, often stopping to check out something interesting such as a farm or a stall along the road. He even plucked a reed out from some sweet grass and began chewing on it while he was on the move. If that didn't make him look any more like a trekker, then he didn't know what else to do.

The clock eventually ticked over to lunch hour and Naruto soon figured he could probably stop somewhere along the main road to pick up something to eat. Having come across several stalls, shops and tea houses on his march, Naruto knew he had plenty of variety when it came to grabbing a bite. He could either stop for some dango, fried rice, or maybe even try out what ramen outside of _Konohagakure_ tasted like.

Having traveled this far out of the Land of Fire, you could tell he was craving for something fresh and exciting.

Unfortunately for him though, Naruto was so caught up on thinking about what to get for lunch that he completely overlooked the sight of a foot being stuck out of a row of bushes on the path ahead of him. While watching a couple of blue birds flying overhead, he ended up inadvertently treading on the person's ankle, coaxing a cry of pain from the figure in question.

"AUGH!" the man in a brown and grey shinobi uniform cried out.

All of a sudden, two more people came rushing out of the bushes, both of them wearing the exact same style of shinobi clothing as the one on the ground, who continued to snivel like a child as they huddled around him.

"Oh my goodness! What is wrong brother?" the shortest of the two exclaimed in a forced, incredulous voice.

The other newcomer, with sideburns poking out from underneath his hood style head covering, feigned an expression of abject horror. "Our brother's leg has been broken in half! Oh, what ever shall we do?!"

The short man frowned and glared across at the person responsible for their friend's 'injury'. "Hey, boy!" It was only seconds after the trio had come to the end of their little performance that the three bumbling shinobi realized that the blonde hadn't stopped.

In fact, Naruto had been so caught up in his little world that he'd just kept right on walking, leaving the three men staring after him in bewilderment.

"Hey! You! Boy!" the man shouted again.

"Oh, shoot." Realizing their calls were falling upon deaf ears, the leader of the group and organizer of this charade cursed and quickly began running after the young traveler. He was almost immediately followed by his other companion, "Hey!"

For a couple more minutes Naruto kept on walking. It was only after covering about a hundred meters did the sound of shouting and hurried footsteps eventually force the blonde to a halt. When he turned around, Naruto's eyes fell upon the man with the muttonchops and his shorter partner with the bulbous nose, both of whom stumbled to a stop behind him and spent the next several seconds panting heavily.

It became quite clear to the blonde haired ramen cook that the two men were obviously out of breath.

"Hey… didn't you… hear us… yelling at you?" the side-burned one asked through deep inhales and exhales, hands on his knees as he stood there in a hunched over position, at the same time sweating up a storm.

Looking between the exhausted pair curiously, Naruto stepped towards them with a slightly deadpanned expression, "You're kind of out of shape, aren't you?"

The shinobi with the prominent hair curls looked up in surprise, "Hey! That's not true." He then trailed off momentarily when he remembered something important, "Although… my blood pressure has been a little high."

His friend, also recovering from the run, nodded and showed the boy his hip. "Yeah, and I've been getting these shooting pains in my lower-"

"AAAH, quiet you!" the leader shouted, silencing his teammate and prompting him to cower away under his glare, "Nobody wants to hear about your health problems!" His attention then turned back to the traveler from Konoha, whom he leaned over and gave his version of a sinister grin… which was quite pitiful if Naruto had anything to say about it. "We're here to make this boy pay for breaking our dear brother's leg."

"Oh! Yeah! That's right," the shorter man remarked, while at the same time focusing his own ire on the blonde connoisseur.

Plucking the reed hanging from his mouth, Naruto smiled pleasantly and pointed back down the road they'd come. When the two shinobi looked over their shoulders, they saw their 'wounded' older brother running towards them, panting heavily just like they'd been, before coming to a staggering halt behind them.

"H-Hey! Why did you guys… leave me alone… back there?! "

His appearance had the two shinobi confronting the blonde frown in annoyance before looking away with their arms folded, as if trying to shrug off the fact that their companion was fine.

"Well… if you're going to quiver over every little detail!" the side-burned shinobi grumbled.

"Yeah! So here's the deal. If you want to escape our righteous wrath, give us all of your money, twerp, and we'll let you go!" the shorter one shouted while turning to leer at the young man.

It came as a surprise to the three of them when they suddenly saw the blonde step forward and give each of them a very friendly smile.

"Hey. You three wouldn't happen to be bandits, would you?" Naruto asked.

A little caught off guard by the question, the shortest of the three shinobi grinned and folded his arms proudly, "Well, there are those who refer to us that way!" He said this in a tone that conveyed complete and utter confidence.

Hearing this, the whisker-marked youngster standing before them snapped his fingers in realization and pointed at the three uniformed men triumphantly, all of whom he noticed were wearing the exact same forehead protector with a question mark like symbol etched into it.

"Oh, so you're saying that you're brigands?"

"Oh-ho, you're much too kind!" to short one exclaimed joyously, before he was quickly silenced by a quick punch to the head from the side-burned man.

"Gah! He's not praising you, yah shmuck!" the leader growled, watching his companion massage his cranium painfully. Huffing, he then placed his hands on his hips and struck a pose. "As a matter of fact young man, my teammates and I are not bandits. Nor are we what you would like to call brigands."

"Yes! That's right!" the taller one with the tanned skin and pointy nose who'd previously been feigning a broken leg stated, at the same time nodding his head comically. "We are shinobi of _Moyagakure_ (Village Hidden in the Haze)."

"And not just any shinobi, mind you!" the leader continued conceitedly, signaling for his men to leap into a series of impressive back flips. When his companions sprung into the air in simultaneous tuck-and-roll maneuvers, the leader also leapt away and struck a pose. His 'brothers' soon landed on either side of him, both of them striking poses that resembled two different kanji; Mo and Ya. "We are the great and undisputed…"

"_**Moya Triad!"**_ the trio yelled at the exact same time.

"The fiercest, most powerful and most unrivaled team in the history of ninja!" the boss bellowed passionately. "There is not a single shinobi alive that can defeat the three of us! Nor is there a shinobi alive that can defeat me; the strongest, the handsomest and most powerful shinobi from the _Village Hidden in the Haze_! The great Aniki!"

"Yeah!" the taller one posing as the kanji Mo shouted.

"There's not a shinobi alive who can defeat Aniki!" the one posing as Ya also remarked.

"He is truly the greatest!"

"Yes. Yes. I _am_ the greatest. Thank you." The man nodded cockily. "So, my traveling little friend, are you impressed by what you see?" Aniki asked, hands on his hips and teeth practically sparkling under the midday sun.

Blinking a few times as he looked over the triad of shinobi striking poses several feet in front of him, the spiky haired Naruto took a moment to gather up his thoughts and murmured uncomfortably, "Uhh… no. Not really."

His answer caused the three men to face plant the floor all together, creating a loud 'crash' sound on impact. Seconds later, they staggered back to their feet, expressions showcasing their disappointment.

"Aww, man!" Ya whined.

"And we worked so hard on that intro," Mo groaned, glancing across at the whisker-marked boy in dismay, "Aren't you even the least bit terrified?"

"No. I mean…" Naruto looked at the squad with a raised eyebrow, "You guys are three fully-fledged ninja with uniforms, headbands and everything, and yet you're just skulking around the highways of the _Land of Fire_ trying to con money off of poor, unsuspecting travelers. If you want my honest opinion, I think that's just sad."

This had Mo give a loud wail as he slapped himself in the face, "You're right! It _is_ sad!"

"We're full-grown men trying to steal money off of children and elderly folk! We shouldn't be doing stuff like this! It's disgraceful!"

"It doesn't matter!" Aniki suddenly shouted, smacking the two out of their dazes with a new, even grander pose than before. Hands thrown out, the boss pointed across at the deadpanned blonde and put on his fiercest expression yet, which with those muttonchops looked absolutely pathetic. "Stay strong, my brothers! We cannot allow ourselves to be deterred by the words of this wandering cur! Remember; we're here for one reason and one reason only… and that is to earn enough money to support our noble cause!"

Snapping out of their dramatic reveries, the two simpletons leapt back into formation with resolute expressions coming into play.

"That's right!"

"Yeah!" both Ya and Mo shouted respectively. "For our noble cause!"

"We must earn enough money to feed out starving bellies in order to give us the strength we need to defeat our enemies! That is our mission today!" Aniki roared, flashing them a grin and once again taking a stand against the unshaken blonde staring back at them. "So, my brave little urchin, cough up the gold and we will let you leave here with your life!"

Silence falling over the region once again, Naruto stared unflinchingly at the trio of unformed men for about a minute before a defeated sigh escaped his lips. Sticking the reed back into his mouth, the child then walked over to the side of the road, set his backpack down and picked up a branch sitting inside the shrubbery.

The group of three from the so-called Village Hidden in the Haze then watched on in bewilderment as the blonde proceeded to draw a line in the dirt, circling around them while humming a delightful tune. Once he'd drawn the line around the group, Naruto then dropped the branch and stepped into the circle from where he'd started.

Spitting out the reed from his mouth, Naruto slipped his hands into his pockets and grinned across at the baffled men several feet away, all of whom were also standing inside the ring. "Alright fellas, here's the deal. If you can knock me out of this circle, I will give you all of the money that I have."

"Uhh… okay," Ya and Mo mumbled.

"_But_…" Naruto then added, "If I can knock you out of this circle before you can knock me out, then I will take all of the weapons and money that you three have on you and be on my way. Deal?"

Appearing surprised at his proposal, the trio of performers looked at each other one last time before grinning evilly and assuming fighting stances. Giving a macho-like yell, Aniki and his teammates faced off against the confident blonde with fists up and feet spread apart.

"Very well, twerp! If that is what you want, then we accept your challenge!" Aniki shouted and pointed across at the cocky pipsqueak, "BROTHERS! ATTACK!"

At his signal, Mo and Ya let out their respective battle calls and rushed forward, dashing towards Naruto at sprinting speed. The moment they charge, the blonde youngster simply strolled forward at a casual pace, meeting them in the center. The first to open up was Mo, who attempted to nail the blonde with a swinging left straight.

The young traveler merely head slipped the punch, effortlessly stepping around the man when he stumbled past him. With that maneuver, Naruto found himself face to face with Ya, the shinobi giving a very manly scream as he struck down at the child with a right overhand, but instead missed when the blonde stepped around him too and stuck his foot out, tripping the man and causing him to tumble across the ground painfully.

Recovering first, Mo turned around to see Naruto with his back turned to him and, giving another roar, charged at him with a right hook instead.

Sensing his enemy's approach, Naruto casually turned around and, pulling his hands out of his pockets, ducked under the hook and slammed a right palm into the man's chest with a loud 'crack'. The blow not only knocked the air out of Mo's lungs, but it also knocked him off his feet and slammed him into the floor at the mere angle and force of the attack's delivery.

Spitting up saliva from the blow to his chest, Mo saw the blonde pinning him to the road grin. Snarling in response, the man attempted to grab Naruto's shoulder, but missed when the blonde nimbly rolled forward, causing the man to roll backwards with him and inadvertently bringing them to their feet. As soon as they were up and facing each other, a stunned Mo attempted to hook at the boy again. But the traveler from Konoha parried the blow instead, and struck the shinobi in the knee with a swift side kick, effectively breaking his leg when he snapped it at an angle it wasn't supposed to.

Shouting in agony, Mo was then smacked across the face by Naruto hitting him with a backhanded fist, literally knocking a couple of teeth out of his mouth. Opponent stunned, the blonde then grabbed him by his collar, pulled him forward and tossed him effortlessly, causing the man to perform two aerial flips before striking the ground head first, simultaneously landing outside of the circle as well. He was out cold the moment his body came to rest.

Finally finding his feet, a courageous Ya, ignoring his comrade's fall, charged at Naruto from behind and attempted to strike him in the back of the head with a hook. Sensing his approach though, the blonde ducked under the attack and uncorked a kick straight into his side, his blow landing with such force it not only broke the man's ribs but sent him flying out of the circle like a bullet and slamming into a tree. Ya's impact with the evergreen snapped the trunk in half before he hit the ground upside-down, right on his head. His defeat was marked by the tree collapsing into the forest behind him.

With the first two easily dispatched, Naruto turned to face Aniki, who stood on the edge of the circle looking on in shock at how effortlessly his brothers had been taken down. Eventually shaking himself from his stupor, the shinobi from _Moyagakure_ took a gutsy stance of his own and growled. "Alright, boy! You asked for it! BANZAI!" With a spirited yell, the man dashed forward a little bit faster than his teammates and chucked a left jab and a right hook.

Dodging the first one, Naruto then threw a head butt at the man's follow-up, striking him in the wrist and causing a loud 'crack' to ring out. The counter to his arm had Aniki recoil with a yelp, ending with him gripping his now broken right in agony. This essentially left him wide open for the blonde haired traveled to cork back his hand and, imitating a 'wind-up' with his right fist, uncorked the mother of all hooks across the shinobi's face.

The blow was not only marked by a killer thunderclap, it also blasted Aniki off his feet and sent him spiraling like a top straight to the ground. Teeth and blood flying in all directions, the man eventually hit the floor and bounced off of it several times, landing outside of the circle two seconds later in a cloud of dust.

When the smoke dispersed, it revealed the man bleeding from almost every orifice on his face and lying in a crumpled heap at the side of the road, a stupid, toothless grin pulled across his lips.

"I win." Blowing on his knuckles, a cheerful Naruto then took a moment to survey his handiwork. Seeing that all of the Moya Triad had been knocked out, the youngster then strolled over to where his bag was, picked it up, and then went about the task of pick-pocketing his enemies for his prize. When he eventually gathered up all of their coins and hardware, he chucked their weapons into the forest and kept the cash for himself.

"Lucky!" the blonde sung, pocketing the bag of money and, leaving the three unconscious men where they were lying, started back down the road and continued making his way toward _Kumogakure_.

Though this was one of the first battles he'd ever fought that didn't involve the former bullies at his orphanage, it was a fight Naruto had not been expecting to partake in. One thing was for sure though…

A victory like this demanded lunch!

OOO

(Half an hour later)

Coming across a teahouse further down the highway, Naruto pulled over to grab a bite to eat. When he sat himself down at a table inside the small restaurant, the blonde spent about a minute perusing over the menu before eventually helping himself to a serving of fried noodles. Being one of the few people in the store, he didn't have to wait for long before his order arrived in all its smoking, sauce-covered glory.

"Mmm. Now that's what I'm talking about."

If there was anything a ramen connoisseur could appreciate, it was good food and good noodles, and this place had some excellent choices. The mixture of oyster sauce topped with a careful selection of vegetables, meat and spices blended in seamlessly to create an exquisite, mouthwatering creation that no weary traveler could possibly resist. Depending on what your tastes were, it was guaranteed that of the various choices this place had to offer, there was a signature dish for everyone.

For Naruto, he'd decided to go for the chicken with chili sauce on the side.

Voicing his approval of the dish he'd ordered, the blonde washed it all down with a glass of water. Upon eating his fill, Naruto then spent the next couple of minutes sitting there resting, taking a moment to write down some inspirational notes in his book. After feeling his stomach settle, he then paid the waitress out of his own pocket and, remembering his schedule, decided to head on his way.

It would be another full day before he arrived at his destination. Considering the amount of excitement he'd encountered along the highway, the blonde knew he was bound to encounter even more action before his journey was to the hidden cloud was over and done with. Until that time of course, he figured he would need to find a place to stay for the night, and that meant either camping out in the wilderness under the stars, saving himself some money, or finding a room at a quaint little hotel somewhere else in the countryside.

It was good that he had options to pick from, since he had absolutely no problems with either one. Being a boy who lived on the bare minimum every single day of his life, the entire world was pretty much his oyster.

While he was shouldering his bag and strolling out the exit, the blonde accidentally bumped into someone walking in through the same way and took a few steps back. "Oh. Sorry about that." Shaking off the surprise, the boy looked up at the person he'd collided with and moved aside, taking note of the man's black, high collar cloak with red cloud patterns on it and straw hat lined with streamers. Seeing the raven haired man peering at him from underneath the paper veil, Naruto bowed his head apologetically and backed up some more. "I didn't see you there."

"That's quite alright," the voice of the stranger with the oddly colored red eyes spoke as he too nodded towards the youngster. "Please. After you."

"Oh, thank you very much," Naruto chirped, carefully edging his way around. Seeing that there was another person dressed in the exact same getup as the one he'd run into standing behind him, only the guy was much taller with blue skin and had a massive sword on his back, the blonde nodded to both before quickly rejoining the main road.

He'd just restarted his journey to Kumo. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a fuss in a public venue.

The two figures at the entrance to the teahouse watched the kid scamper away, before they quietly dismissed him and entered, allowing the youngster to carry on as if nothing had happened.

Continuing to follow the highway for a few more kilometers, passing by many more stalls and homes along the way, Naruto shortly arrived in a small village with a very country-like vibe to it. Seeing buildings scattered across the surrounding valley, dotted with forests and rice fields, and stretching for Kami knows how long, the blonde thought that this was the perfect place for him to find a place to stay for the night.

Taking interest in the fields of crop in front of him, the youngster ambled through the small community for several minutes. It was while he was passing a couple more houses he spotted something that caught his eye. Or… more like his ear.

Nestled in the alleyway between two buildings, Naruto saw a child around the same age as him, dressed in brownish outdoor clothing and covered in dirt, sitting up against the fence with the most miserable look he'd ever seen on a person. With their knees pulled up to their chest and arms wrapped tightly around their legs, the youngster was staring down at the ground, shivering from head to toe and clenching their jaw tightly in an effort to suppress the tremors.

While a sight like this would have normally been dismissed by other people, Naruto wasn't one to let a sight like this go so easily, especially since it was a cough that drew his attention to them in the first place.

As he stared at the kid, he saw them sputter several more times, coughing and retching in such a way that the blonde cringed at how painful it sounded. Frowning when he then saw the child pull her hand away and return to shaking, the blonde traveler considered the sight for a moment or so longer. Being the caring type of person that he was, Naruto simply couldn't leave the kid sitting there the way they were, cold, alone, and probably sick with no one to look after them. It just wasn't right.

Deciding to see what was up the young traveler approached them, stopping just a few feet from the alley with his hand on the strap of his bag. When his presence caught the attention of the child sitting against the wall, Naruto saw the kid gasp and crawl away, but then squatted down and held his hands out, "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt yah." Withdrawing a little at the nervous look the adolescent gave them, Naruto beamed, "Are you alright. You don't look very well."

Swallowing, the girl edged away a little bit more, "S-Stay back. I… I don't want you getting sick…"

Hearing how hoarse her voice was, Naruto paused for a moment before giving the poor urchin a fearless smile, "Don't worry about me. You should be more worried about yourself." Looking her over, the blonde rested his hands on his legs. "Are you from around here?" The girl shook her head. "Are you… alone?" The child nodded, drawing a kind smile from the blonde connoisseur. "What's your name?"

"A-Amaru…"

Acknowledging her name, the boy edged a little closer. "It's okay. I can help you."

"N-No…" the child moved away hastily, coughing a couple more times while holding a hand up to cover her face, "Y-You can't. You'll get sick."

"Hey. What did I just say?" Naruto asked, at the same time giving the child a charming grin, "It's alright. I can't get sick." He once again held his hand out. "Come on. I'll take you to a doctor."

"No! S-Stay away! I'm fine!" The child quickly got up and tried to run. However, after taking a few shaky steps, she suddenly tripped over her own feet and hit the ground hard.

The fall causing the blonde to wince, Naruto hurriedly got up and approached, hearing the child cough a few more times before settling into a series of raspy breaths. Worried she may have seriously hurt herself the blonde knelt down next to the child and turned her over.

Not really knowing what to do, he then reached over and gently shook her to see if she was still conscious. It was after he did so the young traveler then noticed something odd underneath the collar of the girl's shirt and, curious, pulled it back to see what it was. The connoisseur then cringed at what he found.

A red rash with blood blisters spreading along her collar and chest could be seen tattooing her skin in a way Naruto had never seen before. Judging from the state and condition of the wound as well, the child had apparently tried to apply bandages to the infected area, which had only served to cover up the inflammations rather than ease them.

This set off several different alarm bells inside the whisker-marked boy's head, who immediately gritted his teeth at the sight.

"Yeah. You're not fine," Naruto murmured, wasting no time in picking the girl up and cradling her in his arms. Seeing the eleven year old stir and look up at him, the boy smiled at her and readjusted her position in his arms, "Don't worry. I'll get you some help." Giving them a kind smile, the softest he could muster, he quickly received one in return before the girl nodded off.

Getting out of the alleyway, the blonde immediately changed course and took off down the road at a more urgent pace. His eyes scanning the valley and looking for a place the girl could receive treatment Naruto became even more thorough than usual as he practically moved from door to door searching for a hospital.

After twenty minutes of walking around and bouncing from neighborhood to neighborhood, the boy then gave up on following his instincts and instead asked for directions. The elderly man he met on the road directed him to a doctor a couple fields over from where he was and, after traveling the distance to get to it, the youngster quickly found himself on the general practice's doorstep. Naruto expressed joyous relief when he saw that it was still open.

As soon as he was in, the blonde showed the child to the surgeon in charge of the establishment and, after telling them how he'd found her and that she didn't have any parents to look after her, allowed the nurse to take the girl off his hands. Naruto was then instructed to go wash his arms and wait in the counter area so that they could get details off of him later.

Once he'd completed his first task of scrubbing up, the blonde then grabbed a seat in the white painted room and spent the next half hour waiting in uncomfortable silence as the people worked on the youngster out back.

Passing the time by scribbling in his book, the spiky haired ramen chef was able to jot down a few more interesting ideas for recipes he wanted to try out. Since he couldn't exactly keep still and knowing any unwarranted movement might disturb the workers of this place, he had to purge any and all need to pace to something a little bit more constructive.

After what felt like an hour of sitting in silence, the boy then saw the nurse return to the front and quickly sprang to his feet.

"Well?" he asked, hastily approaching the desk.

The nurse with long black hair wrapped in a high-bun and wearing a pair of thin glasses nodded towards the boy and brought up her writing pad, "The girl is suffering from an acute skin infection that doesn't originate from this part of the region. We believe she received it from somewhere down south, probably around the marshy areas where there's a lot of moisture and plant life." Reading off of the board, the woman continued on with their diagnosis. "The virus has also greatly weakened her immune system. On top of the rash that's spreading across her skin, she also has a mild throat infection, which we guess started not too long ago."

"I see," Naruto nodded, cringing at the information. Rubbing the back of his head, the blonde glanced up at the young woman. "Will you… be able to help her?"

"It'll take a few days to clear away the corrupted flesh and about a week or so for the throat infection to run its course. Medication should be enough to help with the latter," the nurse explained, a smile appearing on her face as she referred to the worried traveler. "Don't worry. Normally a procedure like this would require round the clock attention from the staff, as well as the right amount of herbs and supplements over the month. However, the doctor who works here was a medic ninja formerly of _Yugakure_, so the operation should go much smoother."

"Oh. That's a relief," Naruto exclaimed, exhaling deeply.

The doctor's assistant beamed, "She's lucky, you know… that you found her when you did. A few more days out on the streets and she would've been in serious trouble."

"I wonder what she was doing all the way out here," Naruto murmured, scratching his head thoughtfully as he watched the nurse write a couple more things down on her paper. "If what you say is true, then she's a very long way from home."

"Maybe you can ask her about that when she wakes up," the nurse suggested, tilting her head thoughtfully before handing her pad over, "I just need your details at the top and your signature at the bottom, citing that you were the one that brought her here."

Doing as instructed, the young traveler filled in all of the information required, while being sure to mention that he would be heading up to _Kumogakure_ for the next couple of weeks. Just in case the girl wanted to find him again, he was certain to leave his current address and contact code in the space provided.

After writing in all the sections he needed, Naruto then set the pen down and reached into his pocket. Rummaging around for a second, he then pulled out the sack of coins he'd taken from the trio of idiots he'd run into along the highway. Considering this belonged to a band of thieves, who'd probably earned this through shameful practices, the blonde decided to put it to better use and plopped it on the counter.

"Here," he said, "This should cover her treatment."

"Oh. Th-Thank you," the nurse murmured, taking the bag and weighing it between her fingers. Upon checking its contests, she smiled and looked up at the stranger."Y-You don't really have to…"

"Well… if you can, give the rest of it to Amaru," Naruto said, nodding further into the building and down the hallway the woman had emerged from. "I'm sure she needs it more than I do." Smiling one last time, the boy turned heel and prepared to leave.

He was stopped however when the surgeon's assistant spoke up, "Hang on a second." Reaching into her pocket, the nurse pulled up a container containing a small bottle of cream, which she handed over to the blonde. "In case your skin starts to get red and irritated, be sure to rub that in to kill the inflammation before it gets worse. You don't want to suffer the same infection your friend has."

Checking the label, Naruto smiled and pocketed the tub, "Thanks a bunch."

"Anytime," the nurse answered happily, watching the blonde haired connoisseur vacate the premises via the door. Upon seeing the gate shut and the chiming of the bells fade, the young lady returned to sorting her files and running her errands.

All things considered, they had a sick little girl out back to take care of, and both her and her boss had a very busy couple of days ahead of them.

OOO

(A Day later)

Having found a comfortable tree to sleep under the previous evening, Naruto spent a glorious night out under the stars, using his backpack as a pillow and his vest as a blanket. The dark out in the valley was warm and pleasant, and with the sound of crickets chirping away in the dense shrubbery making up the woodlands, he had the perfect backdrop to nod off in.

After a solid eight hours of sleep, the blonde was up and running again at full power. Fetching himself a delightful breakfast at a nearby deli, he then continued on his journey to the North, passing the borders of the _Land of Hot Water_ into the _Land of Frost_ and finally into the _Land of Lightning_. It was here he took note of the many drastic changes in the landscape, from the smooth rolling hillsides and valleys of the mainland, to a rockier environment with snow-capped peaks stretching across the horizon, valleys in the lowlands with lakes and rivers flowing in the direction of the ocean, and vast mountain ranges.

Completely taken in by the spectacle of the cloud-covered countryside, the blonde enjoyed a glorious hike across this wonderful nation. Passing by many new faces, including Kumo shinobi moving back and forth from their hometown along the highway they were traveling, he soon found himself at the hidden village's front patio; an archway slightly different from the one back in _Konohagakure_. It was at this very marker where Naruto stopped and gazed in amazement at the sheer enormity of the community he was now confronted with.

"Whoa." The village itself was built in a collection of tall mountains, with roads looping in around the abovementioned apexes and structures. True to its name, the village was literally concealed inside of vast, white clouds, an element that made it difficult for Naruto to make out any particular landmarks. The only one he could spot was a large blue structure sitting atop the tallest mountain in the distance, which he figured was their capital building and where the village leader resided.

Needless to say Naruto was deeply impressed by what he saw.

"And I'll be staying here for the next couple of weeks," the blonde murmured to himself, hoping to himself that maybe he could extend his stay here for a little bit longer. There just seemed to be so much to take in and yet there was so little time for him to explore. Adjusting the strap of his bag and checking to make sure his orange pendant was still hanging around his neck, the cheerful youngster brushed his hair out of his eyes and took in a deep breath, "Oh well. Better make the most of it."

Knowing where he had to go, Naruto kicked his legs back into gear and strolled on in. Being sure to greet the guards so as to not rouse any suspicions, the young traveler began searching for his final destination. Teuchi and Ayame sent him up here for a reason, and he was determined to do well by them.

After all, not only did they have high expectations of him to do well here, but he too had ridiculous expectations of himself, and he was not going to ruin that by getting into trouble.

He was a visitor here and he needed to be on his best behavior, for both himself and his village. Good impressions and all that noise.

But man was he excited!

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: Well, that was an interesting chapter. Naruto is finally going out to see the world, and where should he start? Yep. Kumogakure.

Here, not only do we get a taste of what Naruto is capable of aside from his ability to experiment and make great noodle dishes, but he's also physically strong, can defend himself quite brilliantly, and is compassionate as well as adventurous. Not to mention just, as he showed those three numbskulls when they tried to con and rob him.

If anyone is wondering, those three shinobi were from _Naruto Episode 101: Kakashi-sensei's true face_. I'm sure everyone remembers the three pathetic ninja trying to take out poor Kakashi while Naruto and his friends are attempting to unmask him. Here, they're just a nuisance trying to make a living however they can. In this incarnation, they work part time as highway robbers, hilariously enough. Think of them as Naruto's Team Rocket.

Let's see, Naruto not only has a brush with Itachi and Kisame (if anyone didn't figure that out), he also met Amaru, which will be interesting to see how that goes. I'm thinking of including her. And what's the deal with the Kyuubi?

Everyone obviously thinks he has it, but according to the Hokage, the Kyuubi is seemingly no longer around. Intriguing.


	4. Sightseeing

**NARUTO**

**The Part-Timer**

_Sightseeing_

(Three Days Later)

"I need a number three with some extra soy sauce on the side, pronto!"

"Aye, sir! Coming right up!"

"And a number four with an extra poached egg, stringed carrots and green beans!"

"Yes sir!"

Upon receiving his commands, Naruto quickly threw himself into the job of preparing the abovementioned orders for his boss as quickly as possible. Darting between stoves and work spaces left and right, the blonde made sure to juggle all of his responsibilities appropriately, from the noodles boiling on the big pot to the ingredients needing to be diced up for each serving. This being lunch hour at the _Kumogakure_ ramen stand, it was a given that things were going to be hectic.

When Naruto first arrived at this village three days ago, the blonde immediately went about the task of finding himself suitable accommodations in the center of the town and, from _Konohagakure's_ perspective, 'enemy territory'. Since he would be staying here for the next couple of weeks doing his job as a ramen connoisseur, the boy figured he'd acquire lodgings that were not only cheap, but also suited his humanistic needs and wants.

It was a relatively simple process. Visiting the local real estate agency, Naruto perused through the various catalogues of the smallest apartments he could afford with a single room, toilet and kitchen, which would holster the few accessories he'd brought along with him, as well as the stuff he would probably purchase over the course of his several week tenure. He didn't need a bath or shower, since he could visit the public venues providing those services anytime he wanted and he didn't need a personal laundry room either.

Naruto didn't require very much to live on and that was an extremely big advantage for someone like him as far as he was concerned. To coincide with his current living conditions as well as future aspirations of becoming a traveling ramen connoisseur and master chef aiming to conquer the world, not having much on his person also meant he didn't have much to lose, and that went double for possessions.

In any case, upon finding an appropriate apartment and complex to deposit his bag and materials, Naruto then went to introduce himself to the store owner he would be working for over the short month. Locating the business easily enough in the heart of the village, the spiky haired blonde met up with Teuchi's northern associate, Ishikawa. A burly, dark-skinned man with a kind face, the manager of the stall and the one responsible for sending the request in the first place was quick to welcome the young _Ichiraku_ worker with open arms.

As soon as introductions and pleasantries had been made, the chef wasted no time in showing Naruto his beloved enterprise.

The first day saw the whisker-marked traveler getting acquainted to the kitchen and the restaurant. A much bigger establishment than the one back in _Konohagakure_, as this one had an outdoor dining area with a wider counter front, Naruto was instantly impressed by what he saw. Due to the building's more open design, it meant that waitering was also a big part of the experience, with a walk-in floor plan that allowed for easy access and maneuverability. As a young worker still making his way in the world of shinobi and business, the visitor from the hidden leaf was instantaneously taken in by all that the store had to offer and the two other chefs/customer service agents working there, Meme and Dan.

They were all very friendly people, more so than the would-be jinchuriki was used to, as Naruto was swiftly welcomed in by his fellow chefs.

After the first two days had come and gone, the youngster had managed to pick up the routine rather well. On this particular day, while the big boss was out in the front and serving the customers coming in by the dozens, Naruto was in the back completing the orders being given to him alongside Meme. With his _Ichiraku_ training guiding him across the chamber like a self-directing map, the blonde bounced back and forth between points, making sure that operations in the kitchen continued to chug forward.

Just as _Kumogakure_ had made an impression on him, Naruto in turn was making an impression on those working alongside him and the customers up front.

For the next hour he cheerfully worked the line, processing orders quickly while balancing out his many other duties in the back.

On one particular batch of orders Naruto shifted across his station, tossing in noodles, broth and ingredients into the three bowls on the tray in front of him. Upon adding the extra assorted goods handed to him by Meme on his right, he then moved it to the kitchen window and slid it out for Ishikawa to deliver the dishes to their respective customers.

Smiling at the Teuchi signature style arrangement he recognized in how the bowls had been distributed, the man looked back up to see Naruto return to the broth. The boy promptly collected a couple more unions from the bag, rolled one down the back of his arm, across his shoulders and into his other hand like a ball, before beginning to peel away at its surface with lightning fast, surgical precision.

With the speed he moved around at in the kitchen he looked almost like the energizer bunny. The sight not only had Ishikawa chuckle, it also had Meme gaze in awe.

"You're like a machine, Naruto," the shop owner exclaimed, grinning at the sight of the blonde blurring across his work station. "How many cups of coffee did you have this morning. Three? Five? Dare I say eight?"

Tossing the stir fry in the wok and hearing the fire crackle away beneath it, the blonde grinned across at the window, "This is how I normally work, Ishikawa-san. I've been doing this for so long, running around like this just comes naturally to me." Hell, he didn't even sweat at his work station anymore. That little detail had been wiped clean from his resume in his first five months.

Chuckling in amusement, the store owner collected up the tray that'd been handed to him, "If this is the kind of material that Ichiraku's dishing out these days, you guys must be doing absurdly well down south."

"Well, what can I say? Oji-san's training is spot on," the blonde replied, popping down his wok and showing the man his bicep. He clapped his hand over it confidently in a gung-ho pose. "Don't worry, boss. By my honor as a ramen chef's apprentice, I won't let you down."

"Ha. I love your enthusiasm, kid. The other ramen stores should have two more just like you," Ishikawa remarked while nodding towards the youngster. "Keep up the good work."

"Yes! I will, sir!"

When the man took the tray of ramen out to the customers, Naruto returned to his post. While focusing his attention on the wok again, throwing in some oil to begin the cooking process from step one, he was quickly approached by Meme from the sidelines.

The only female worker at the business, she was a young woman around eighteen years old with short blonde hair, green eyes and dark skin. Wearing the white uniform, apron and hat that were signature of the employees of this store, she was not only incredibly good looking but also committed to her role in noodle making.

Of course, even though she was a civilian of _Kumogakure_ just like everybody else in a ten mile radius, she was still welcoming to their visitor from out of town, which she further went on to illustrate by throwing the boy a kind smile and an admiring gaze.

"You work so hard, Naruto-kun," the girl spoke kindly and in a soft voice.

"Heh. Thanks. I always try to do my best whenever I'm on shift," the spiky haired youngster spoke up while facing the young woman with a grin. "But it's not like I'm the only one. You're really awesome too, Meme-chan. That technique you use for stirring up the side dishes while you have them over the fire is pretty far-out."

Meme giggled and brushed her hair back behind her ear, "I've had a lot of practice." She then acknowledged his cooking technique when the boy chucked in his newly cut unions. "As someone who's been at this for so long, I can tell you've had a lot of experience in the kitchen as well. Do you train in your free time? I mean… do you cook a lot of food for yourself at home?"

"Oh yeah. I train a lot," the blonde answered while referring back to his stir-fry. "Normally I try to balance my time between physical exercises and testing my skills at the hot plate, but I also do a ton of studying during my free periods. Making the perfect ramen is an incredibly meticulous process, you know."

This had the young woman smile even wider, "My. You really are passionate about cooking, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh. After going to Ichiraku's ever since I was little and seeing what they had to offer every single day, I've pretty much fallen in love with the food. Though… I think saying I've fallen head over heels for the stuff might be saying a little bit too much," Naruto said while sheepishly sticking his tongue out.

"As long as you're happy doing what you love, then you can go as far as you want," Meme commented, slowly shifting back over to her work station and continuing to chop mushrooms. "It's a lot better doing something with your life that makes you happy then a job that makes you absolutely miserable."

Naruto beamed at the girl's words and slowly went back to his cooking, wordlessly tossing in some fish cakes and starting to mix them. For the next few minutes the pair continued to operate in silence, with Ishikawa returning with two more orders for them to complete.

While he was throwing some more noodles about and making sure they were cooked evenly, the energetic blonde from Konoha glanced across at his co-worker and sent her an inquisitive look. "This restaurant is pretty popular in _Kumogakure_. Do you guys get visits from any big shots or famous people around here?"

Meme chuckled at his question, "We get a few famous people every now and then. They're mostly shinobi though, so don't expect any lords or movie stars popping into our place anytime soon." She then looked up and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I can't remember the last time the Raikage came down here, but Bee-sama usually pops in whenever he's looking for something 'cool' and 'refreshing' to eat." The girl then sighed at the memory of the individual in question and promptly returned to chopping her vegetables. "I tell yah… that man is a real inspiration."

"Wow," Naruto said while looking across at the girl with a curious smile, "From the sounds of it, this Bee guy must be a pretty important person in your village."

"He is," Meme stated, scooping the diced vegetables into one of the ramen bowls next to her and allowing them to soak. Upon stirring them up so that they sunk into the mixture, she then collected the tray and moved the servings over to the window. "I mean, being the Raikage's brother and everything, there's not a single villager in the hidden cloud that doesn't know who he is. He protects the land and all of the people in it, and everybody looks up to him as the hidden cloud's defender and guardian."

"Man," the blonde breathed out. Hearing this pretty much confirmed all of his thoughts and opinions on the guy. "I hope I get to meet him some day."

After passing the bowls on to her boss, Meme looked back over at him, beaming brightly. "Oh, I'm sure you'll get your chance. He's not that hard to miss." She then grinned at him knowingly, "And if you're _really_ lucky, he might just pop in here while you're working the front counter area."

Fingers crossed, Naruto and Meme swiftly switched places with one another, with the whisker-marked go-getter taking the dishes from the counter window and carrying them over to the sink. Upon depositing them in the tub, he then went about cleaning them as quickly as possible, as there were still plenty more orders to get through and a very long day ahead. With his companion taking his spot at the cooking station, the two ensured that they had all of their roles covered.

They were both employees of a ramen restaurant. That meant that they had to do their very best to make sure that every single customer was well fed and satisfied.

In their line of work, there was no excuse for slacking off.

XXX

(Two Days Later)

One of the very first things that Naruto learned at the start of his journey to becoming a master ramen connoisseur and chef was that 'The Road to Perfect Noodles' was a long and scary one. He learned that lesson on his very first day behind the stove when one of Teuchi's regular customers complained about the noodles he got being sloppy and pasty, and that it had been made by a nine-year-old.

Granted that Naruto _was_ only nine years old when he began working at the edge of the inferno, it was made glaringly obvious to the boy that making ramen was a seriously competitive and rigorous industry. For those who enjoyed good noodle soup, everything had to be as perfect as humanly possible or at least as high as the bar had been placed by the owners of the establishment.

It all came together to form a single, absolute equation; customer satisfaction (C) equals friendly and prompt customer service (F) times great ramen (R) squared. That's how Naruto put it anyway.

Teuchi and Ayame's theories of ramentivity were probably a hell of a lot different than his.

These were pretty much all the thoughts that ran rampant throughout the blonde's head when he began putting Ishikawa's new recipes into practice. True to form, just like the man promised in his letter to the noodle cooks in the south, the owner of _Kumogakure's_ most popular ramen spot showed the blonde his latest creations and special diet recipes.

The new material was pretty straight forward at face value, but required a greater amount of care and effort than conventional ramen brews. That much was a given, considering the fact that it was an entirely new form of consommé and noodle where the creator was attempting to reach new heights of culinary enlightenment.

Basically the process involved Naruto needing to keep an extra eye on the broth to make sure the contents of the container didn't disintegrate too quickly if the fire made the pot too hot. The same result of certain failure applied the other way as well, except that if the pot got too cold then the broth and its ingredients would become stagnant and wouldn't cook right. The stove had to be kept at exactly the right temperature at each turn over in order to make the new ramen combination a success, both in the kitchen and with the customers.

It was something Ishikawa discovered by accident and had been duplicating the process to a very interested market.

The secret ingredient to this new dish was pheasant.

While this completely original creation was tough to learn and allowed the chef to remove the sour taste from the prominent ingredients for a more balanced flavor, the diet recipes that Ishikawa had to offer in exchange for his visitor's services were a lot trickier.

Naruto not only needed to learn a new dough rolling technique, but the noodle making process was longer and the cooking style required the chef to actually 'skim' the broth mixture. There was also another, secondary ramen dish the man offered his out-of-town worker that was high in fiber and reduced cholesterol and blood sugar levels by the bowl full. This was something Naruto was eager to learn so that he could show his audience back home, but found it an entirely different ball game in the kitchen.

It was almost like he was back at square one dicing up vegetables and tossing noodles about for the first time.

The man gave him the recipe on paper to aid him in the process, which helped Naruto a bunch when the youngster briefly skimmed over his notebook before pocketing it. Doing so allowed him both hands to take care of the noodles cooking in the massive bubbling cauldron in front of him and the gumbo steaming on the sidelines.

"These square style noodles are kind of odd. But if that's how the customers want them, then who am I to complain?" Naruto asked out loud, grinning happily. Peaking over his shoulder, he could hear the clamoring of the customers in the store behind him above the bubbling water and Ishikawa taking their orders. "Either way, I'm learning so much about cooking new noodles in such a short amount of time. It's great!"

Dan, who was on shift today along with Meme, chuckled at the youngster's comments from his post by the stoves and smiled in the kid's direction, "Don't worry. If your cooking is as good as your work ethic, then you'll get those recipes down pat no problem."

"Yeah. All I have to do is focus, follow my instincts, and stay positive," Naruto gleefully replied, giving the young male around Meme's age with an oriental appearance and a cool face an understanding nod. "I mean… for people with no talent like me, that's all I can really do, right? Work hard and hope for the best?"

"No talent?" Dan blew a raspberry at the blonde's comment. "If someone like you says he's got no talent, then I must be king of the highlands or something."

The youngster with the whiskers feigned a sulking expression, "Hey, I'm just being honest."

"Well so am I," the chef working the line responded, at the same time he finished adding the ingredients to the two bowls in front of him and moving them across to the window sill. "And I'm not just saying this stuff just to encourage you. You're a seriously good worker and I mean it." Setting the tray on the frame, he watched Ishikawa take it and turned to the eleven-year-old with a hand on his hip. "Give yourself a bit more credit. You're only a kid and you're already an awesome cook, way better than several others I know in this town."

Blushing in embarrassment, Naruto gave a childish giggle and rubbed his head bashfully, "Ah. Thanks a lot."

Grinning, Dan promptly moved back over to his station to continue on with his duties. "Look, you either got it or you don't got it. The fact that you're such a brilliant chef, even if you're still just an apprentice, means you've got ramen in your blood, Naruto."

It was funny since that statement worked in two different ways for the blonde haired traveler.

The next forty or so minutes ticked by with the two men working out back setting a relatively even pace. Every so often they would be joined by either Ishikawa or Meme walking in to either help with the extra cooking or to check to see how things were going with them. Aside from that, nothing of great issue or importance took place while the young boy from _Konohagakure_ and his dark haired partner were on duty.

Then, after serving out some of the store's new diet specials and miso orders, and moving on to cook some more noodles at the primary station, Naruto heard a commotion out front that instantaneously sparked his interest.

His eyes turned towards the window, because he heard someone talking about one of his orders.

"Hey, owner," a dull voice spoke up from the front counter, "These noodles taste a little bit different from your usual batches. They seem a little bit… _pasty_."

Ah! Damn it!

Cringing at the last word that was spoken, Naruto edged a little further out to peer through the window. When he did, he saw the store's manager speaking with a tall _Kumogakure_ shinobi with dark skin, a slightly bulbous nose, lazy eyes, shaggy white hair covering one side of his face, and wearing a black, high-collar sleeveless uniform with a white flak-jacket of a cloud ninja. He also had kanji tattoos of water and lightning on his right and left shoulders respectively, which further accentuated his palpable badass charm.

The blonde also noted there were three other people sitting alongside him, a group of kids around his age that had the headbands of Kumo shinobi. Figuring they were a Genin squad, Naruto gave them a momentary look over before focusing back on the man who'd drawn his attention in the first place.

"It feels like the noodles had been thrown into a vat and stuck together with hot glue. Not to mention the blandness and texture of them are a bit off, especially with this fine combination of vegetables and lean meat. It's like a third-grader made them or something."

"Does it really seem that way?" Ishikawa asked with an amused grin.

The dull looking shinobi smirked, "You trying to pull something over me, old man? What gives?"

Giving a lighthearted chuckle, the large owner of the store thumbed over his shoulder and towards the kitchen area. His gesture had Naruto duck out of sight. "Sorry about that, Darui-san. I have a new guy in the back learning how to make a couple of my new recipes, as well as some of my old ones. I figured throwing him in the deep end would be a great way for him to practice his skills."

"Heh. And you decided to use me as a guinea pig to test out his latest creation?" the shinobi asked while leaning against the counter daringly. "That's rather cruel of you, Ishikawa-san."

"I know he's young, but the boy's exceptionally talented and knows all of the local recipes by hard. It's like its second nature to him. He only just started practicing how to make the noodles and broth for this store's specials yesterday," the manager said with a proud look in his eyes. "He's been doing really well so far."

Darui raised an eyebrow, "Where'd you pick this one up?"

"From the south," the man answered while throwing his hand out and stretching it over the figurative horizon, "The fa~ar south. As in, beyond the borders of this place…"

"An out of towner, huh?" the individual named Darui inquired while peeking through the window. Seeing Dan trudging around the back doing his thing, the shinobi grinned. "If that's the case, I'd really like to meet this so-called prodigy of yours… and see exactly what I'm up against here."

Complying with the customer's request, Ishikawa pivoted towards the back, "Yo, Naruto! Get out here! I think this man has something to say about your cooking!" Grinning from ear to ear, the manager then waited alongside Darui as the cook responsible for the meal made his way into the spotlight.

It came as a small sense of surprise to the shinobi sitting on the other side of the counter when he saw the short in stature Uzumaki step into view and stand before him with his arms at his sides. Sizing the youngster up from head to toe, Darui slowly scrubbed his head and gave an amused chortle.

"Wow. I honestly didn't expect this," the white haired man said in an embarrassed voice, "If I'd known you were so young I would have toned down the harshness of my review a bit. My bad."

Naruto, shuffling nervously on the spot, then threw the Jonin a wry smile, "I-It's okay, sir. I'm still new to the recipe so every critique I can get is much appreciated. Better to get them now than later."

This response had a waitressing Meme smile and Darui smirk, "You're quite the candid one, aren't yah? That kind of trait is hard to come by these days, especially for guys like me. I like that." Upon seeing the blonde scratch his arm nervously, the shinobi leaned forward on his arms and continued on baldly, "All the same, I still think that your skills at making this kind of ramen need a little more tuning up, particularly for the diet based articles."

When the young connoisseur took on a crestfallen posture, Ishikawa gave a laugh and patted Naruto on the back, whereas Meme giggled from her spot by the register.

Once the fun and games had died down a tad, Darui pulled away and continued to speak with a smile, "This dish is one of my all-time favorites at this store. So if you're going to continue serving this order to people in the foreseeable future, kid, I suggest you stick to it until you've received your first two-thumbs up and keep on improving it. That's the secret to becoming the best of the best in any line of work."

Perking up to see the man beaming his way, a once defeated looking Naruto then cracked a smile and gave a gutsy nod. "R-Right!" Sucking it in, the boy threw the man the 'V' sign, "I'll do my best!"

"For someone as cool as you, Darui-sensei, you can still be an incredibly fastidious person," the cool voice of a girl suddenly spoke up, cutting the pair off and drawing their attention over to the three youngsters sitting along the counter nearby. "It kind of upsets the imposing image that you've constructed for yourself."

When Naruto's eyes landed on them, he saw the one that had spoken was a girl with sky blue eyes and straight, blonde hair framing her face, and cut in an asymmetrical bob style with front bangs reaching her shoulders. She was also wearing a figure hugging, black turtle neck, grey pants with her headband wrapped around her arm, a thick, black belt around her waist, and black sandal boots.

To top it all off, the young girl Naruto's eyes had fallen upon was really cute and had a very calm and a collected visage in play, one that told the apprentice chef that she was someone who possessed a keen sense of awareness and a patient demeanor. This was something that could not be overlooked and instantly struck a chord in the spiky haired kid that was akin to youthful curiosity.

Eyes fixing upon Naruto, the kunoichi reached up and brushed some strands of hair out of her face, "If I may inquire… were you the one that made this delicious miso for us?"

Glancing down at the bowl sitting in front of the girl and recognizing it as one he'd served with the batch of four earlier, the blonde cracked a smile and faced her, "Yes. I did."

Responding with a small smile, the newcomer dipping her chopsticks into the dish turned to the man sitting a couple of feet from her, "Say what you will, but I think this boy's culinary skills are quite impressive."

"It's alright, I guess." The dark-skinned, red haired girl sitting at the other end of the trio, wearing the maroon singlet top that exposed her midriff, net shirt over it and leg-hugging jeans grunted. "His egg noodles are great and the broth's pretty good too."

"No arguments here," the Genin sitting between the two girls, a dark-skinned boy with short, messy white hair, sharp eyes, and wearing a fishnet shirt, long-sleeved, forest green hooded top, black track pants and white sandals, added with a smile. "For someone his age, this is a hundred times better than anything I can think of cooking up in my spare time. I bet his refuse and leftovers taste better than my noodles."

"Hey now. What's with all the negative waves? I'm just giving the kid some friendly advice, that's all," Darui replied with a quick wave of his hand and a gesture to the blonde haired boy in front of him. "I'm not saying his food is bad or anything, just that he could use a little more practice."

The cool girl sitting next to the shinobi stared at him, "Yet you decided to go the extra mile and make a big deal out of it with the store's manager?"

The adult sighed and scratched his head. "Okay, so maybe I flew off the handle a bit. I'm sorry." He then looked away with a lazy scowl, "Geez. You three really are Killer Bee's students."

"You were the one who volunteered to take us off his hands for a few days," the boy with the white hair said while leaning across the counter towards the Jonin. "Are you saying you're starting to regret reeling us in?"

"And you call yourself an elite Jonin of _Kumogakure_," the redhead butted back with a condescending frown, "You should be ashamed of yourself."

Chuckling, Darui looked over at the store's boss, whom he could see was standing in the corner and watching the performance. The shinobi shook his head, "There's never a dull moment with these guys." After that, he then looked down at Naruto and gestured toward the three kids next to him, at the same time ignoring Ishikawa's snickering, "See what I have to put up with? Taking care of the Genin in this village can be such a drag sometimes."

Grinning cheerfully at the man, Naruto focused his attention on the three kids and approached them. When he stood before the girl that had gone to the trouble of standing up for him, the young connoisseur exchanged with her an appreciative smile. "Hey. Thanks for that."

The Genin nodded right back, "No problem."

Beaming, the blonde with the white headband then took note of a few more customers entering the store through the front and bowed gratefully to the team. He spared an extra one to the girl in front of him. "Well… I have to get back to work. I hope you three enjoy your meals." Receiving a nod of thanks from Omoi and a wave from Karui, the whisker-marked cook then returned to the kitchen. As soon as he disappeared around the bend, his coworker Meme quickly took care of the newcomers and work once again picked up for the back crew.

When the atmosphere of the storefront increased in volume, a mildly winded Darui glanced over at Ishikawa, "He doesn't look like he comes from _Kaminari no Kuni_ (Land of Lightning). Is he a foreigner?" It would definitely explain the boy's outlandish appearance.

"Yeah. He's a civilian from _Konohagakure_," the manager responded while smiling back at the Jonin. "I asked the manager of Ichiraku's to send one of his boys up here to help me out with my new line, since we've got a couple of seriously busy days coming up. The kid's been a big help to me the past week and I really appreciate the extra effort he's given to this place."

"A hidden leaf bumpkin?" Darui murmured to himself before smiling moments later, "I haven't run into any of their breed for a while now. The last time I remember seeing someone from that town was this girl I hit on in a bar a couple months ago." He then whistled in an impressed tone. "I gotta say; Konoha may be lacking in some areas, but their women are just out of this world."

"Tell me about it," Ishikawa remarked while fanning the air, "I've seen pictures of that Tsunade woman in the papers. Have you checked out her bust and profile recently? What a dish…"

While the men had their face-to-face in the corner and their conversation became a lot more adult in its content, Omoi and Karui turned their gazes back to their lunches. During that time, their teammate Samui, who'd also returned to eating, couldn't help but spare a minute looking up through the store's serving window.

Eyes piercing through to the kitchen, the kunoichi saw Naruto moving about the back at light speed, his head bobbing left and right in pure, unadulterated workman fashion. Above the clamor of the crowd and the clanging of utensils echoing all around, the girl continued to watch the spiky haired go-getter for a couple of minutes, before fixing her eyes onto her ramen and proceeding to further savor the delightful bowl of potage.

Slurping up another length of noodles and feeling the mixture wash over her tongue, the Genin smiled.

"_Mm… it's good,"_ Samui thought happily.

XXX

(A few days later)

Getting the hang of learning the new recipes had pretty much taken up all of Naruto's time. For the majority of his first week and the days following it, the blonde had spent most of that period jumping between work and his temporary apartment complex. While his off hours were indeed pleasant and the young man was able to explore the surrounding neighborhoods to a certain extent, he was still, for the most part, very unfamiliar with the ups and downs of _Kumogakure_.

When Ishikawa gave him a couple days off to rest and recuperate from the heavy action of the store, even though Naruto insisted he didn't need any rest, the connoisseur of the south decided to go for a brisk wander and get his lay of the land.

After getting up that morning and having a refined breakfast of oatmeal and raisins, the blonde began his kickback day by going into town and taking in the sights and sounds of the busy metropolis. Walking the streets from end to end allowed him to catch a view of the many stores and shops undergoing their opening stages, as well as spot the sun rising over the distant mountains. Being in a community that was strictly centered on a collection of edifices somehow made the atmosphere feel that much more breathtaking from a traveler's point of view, something Naruto acknowledged openly when he found a spot up high to get a bead on his location.

Upon watching the bright ball of light rise above the horizon line from one of the highways weaving through the village's many tors, the whisker-marked apprentice continued his explorations at a leisurely pace. Purchasing some freshly made orange juice from local vendor and an energy bar to go with it, he continued marching down the main roads, perusing over the markets before the rushes that were likely to come later that day.

It was relaxing when it was less crowded but a lot more fun when it was. Naruto just wanted some space to catch his breath.

He even bought himself a rollup bag from a kitchen specialty store, the contents of which he was looking forward to testing at the next opportunity.

As expected of a shinobi village like this one, everything was well organized and well guarded. It was a fact that Naruto couldn't help but notice while he was checking out its many landmarks and attractions. Apparently there were a lot more shinobi patrolling the neighborhoods of this village than there were back in _Konohagakure_.

While this didn't bother the youngster in the slightest, since he had been born and bred around a ninja heavy society, it did raise the question inside his head as to why the hidden cloud would have such a high number of active troops on station. Then again, this was, for all intents and purposes, shinobi territory, and being a simple ramen chef from a foreign country, this kind of stuff was none of his concern.

When Naruto was satisfied with checking out the market areas and businesses, he then decided to venture further outside of the center and into the outskirts of town. Leaving the densely populated districts for a much quieter setting, the curious traveler made his way down another set of highways and byways for the better part of an hour, before eventually happening upon a valley of forests and rolling hillsides carved into the middle of the rocky region.

From an illustrative perspective, it almost seemed like Naruto had stumbled upon the set of Peter Jackson's _Lord of the Shinobis_ or something.

Discovering a very pleasant feel coming from the woods the moment he arrived at its borders, Naruto took a moment to inspect the land from a distance before ambling right on through. The boy kept on trekking through the woods and didn't stop until he reached the evergreen's first clearing, which opened up to a stunning valley of long grass and lone trees dotting the landscape. Eventually coming across a spot on a hill overlooking a great deal of the province, it was here Naruto planted himself, pulled out his book, and began to doodle.

Normally the youngster used his personal diary to record all of the cool and exciting new recipes he thought up in his spare time. But contrary to popular belief, Naruto didn't always have ramen and broth on the brain. The intrepid youngster had a life outside of noodles as well.

Very often the spiky haired dreamer would just sketch some of the scenery around him that he found interesting whenever he was out scouting. Naruto also took the time to write bucket loads of 'educational' material that were new to him or were something that he didn't come across very often. This kind of stuff served the boy well whenever he needed to recall specific details or facts somewhere down the line. Hell, the young cook even recorded most of his new experiences in various dot points and sketched-out diagrams, such as his first fight and his first serious injury.

These notes helped him to remedy and fix otherwise complicated problems.

The blonde spent the next part of his day hanging out on that field in tranquil silence, watching the birds fly overhead and feeling the heat of the sun beating down on him. After sketching basically everything in front of him and making a few more notes in his book regarding the climate and landscape of _Kumogakure_ in general, Naruto finally decided to try out something new.

Pocketing his diary and turning to the nearest tree, one sharing the exact same hillside as him, the blonde got onto one knee and pulled out the special item he'd bought at the markets.

Swinging the bag hanging from his shoulder around, Naruto promptly unbuckled it and rolled it open. What he revealed from the leather bound case was a collection of kitchen knives and bladed utensils, all of them embroidered with rosewood handle designs, superbly carved and coated for long term usage. Of course, while all of the woodwork was just fine and dandy, what truly made this collection was the extraordinary metalwork.

The blades had been pressed and folded with special tamahagane steel, making them tougher than standard issue kunai. They were also a lot more expensive than most tools, but Naruto felt like he could indulge himself a little and get a decent set of kitchen knives to use. He had about a hundred here to choose from and the range was simply jaw dropping.

He had meat cleavers, kitchen knives, chef knives, a ton of carving knives, stake and paring knives, and, as an extra incentive, he also had some decent bread knives too.

What Naruto had out in front of him was a butcher's wet dream, a sight that made the blonde's eyes sparkle and shine just like the glimmering, beautifully polished blades in front of him.

Pulling up one of the carving utensils, Naruto checked the balance of the blade from tip to handle and measured it against his hand. Upon giving its back a few tentative strokes of his finger, the youngster smiled and stood up.

After a few testing swings, the blonde tossed it in the air, caught it by the end of the blade, and hurled it at the nearby tree. The blade spun as it traveled through the air before connecting with the trunk with a satisfying 'thud'.

Once the knife embedded itself into the tree, Naruto grinned triumphantly and turned to the rest of his collection. _"Alright. That's the six inch with the drop point edge design down; time to test out the rest of them."_

And from there the fun string of experiments began.

Collecting up a handful of his new toys and juggling them between his fingers, Naruto began pitching them at the same tree one after the other in a variety of different ways. Sometimes he would alternate between left and right or throwing them in twos and threes. The boy would also adjust the angle and trajectory of each round by using a different throwing technique.

Even though these blades were clearly of a different design compared to kunai, the blonde was obviously knowledgeable and experienced in chucking them. Time living alone in his apartment had granted him a lot of opportunities to perfect various different skills in his repertoire.

Using the same carving knives he would often use at work like darts or long range weapons was apparently one of those skills.

For the next fifteen minutes, the boy pitched knives at the trunk, riddling his motionless target with dozens of sharp, deadly metal before sauntering over to yank them out and return them to the other end of the range. After his second round of throws, in which he was able to mark his objective from an even greater distance, the boy then drew a cleaver out from his collection and chucked that as well. When the large blade spun and landed, digging in deep into the wood, the blonde gave a proud nod and moved o recollect them for a third try.

After yanking out the last knife, he checked the blade to see if it had dulled any. But thanks to the expert craftsmanship that had been put into making each individual utensil, he was pleased to find that not a single scratch or impression had been made along any of the cutting edges.

"Money well spent," Naruto whispered, patting himself on the back before returning to his station sitting at the apex of the hill. Kneeling down by his bag, he took out a filing cloth and started to clean the weapons off.

But just as he was starting to put away his collection, the sound of footsteps treading on grass had the energetic youngster stop for a moment and look over his shoulder. When he did, he saw the familiar face of the blonde haired girl from a few days ago standing over him. With her hair framing her face and adorned in the exact same uniform she'd worn to the restaurant, which consisted of a figure hugging black turtle neck and grey pants, Samui looked upon the boy with her hands on her hips and a cool visage in play.

"You're pretty good," the blonde haired kunoichi said while tilting her head, "For a ramen chef."

Blinking as he stared up at her, Naruto grinned, "Thanks. Is that a problem?"

"No. I'm just… a little bit surprised to see that someone of your supposed training and specialization has incorporated knife throwing into their arsenal of skills," the newcomer continued while stepping closer to him, at the same time watching the boy rise up to stand at the exact same height as her. This action immediately had the Kumo Genin stop in her tracks. "It's not every day you encounter a civilian who isn't just a terrific cook, but is also well-versed in the art of shurikenjutsu."

"You sound as if I'm actually good at this stuff," the traveler from afar replied. He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, "This is just something I do in my off time when I'm by myself and nobody's around. Seriously. There's nothing special or incredible about it."

"Really?" The girl then took a moment to survey the tree he'd been throwing the kitchenware at before looking back at him with her unflinching gaze, "Pitching weapons that are not designed for sustained flight or combat at a target that is positioned thirty meters away _and_ with pinpoint accuracy sounds pretty impressive to me."

"Believe me when I say this, I've had _plenty_ of time to kill back at home," Naruto stated, placing his hands on his hips and smirking across at the kunoichi. "You'd be surprised at the amount of things you can pick up when you're sitting around your apartment with nothing else to do and nobody to talk to. The silence is almost deafening… and don't even get me started on the boredom."

"Hmm. So you never thought about going out into your village to socialize? Not even with your friends?" the girl asked, strolling around the boy and approaching his rolled out bag. Stopping beside it, she began checking out his potentially deadly arsenal of knives up close. "I'd hate to think that somebody with your magnanimous and energetic personality would subject himself to spending their days locked away from the rest of the world inside of their apartment. That's a kind of lifestyle that's akin to punishment."

"Heh. Don't get me wrong, I got out quite a bit whenever I had free time. I just… didn't hang out with a lot of people very often."

The girl glanced up at him, "Why's that?"

Naruto grimaced slightly. "Let's just say that the villagers and I didn't get along outside of my workplace very well. The adults in _Konohagakure_ preferred seeing me off of the streets and away from everybody else as much as possible, and whenever I went out to go to the shops to buy something, the villagers walking around always gave me heaps of walking space." He then shrugged when he saw the kunoichi raise an eyebrow. "I'm telling yah, it was weird seeing the traffic part the way it did."

Staring at him for several seconds in silence and considering his words carefully, the girl then gave him a troubled look, "So… you're saying that you were all alone most of the time? That the villagers scorned and recoiled at your presence?"

Breathing out a sigh, Naruto reached up and massaged the back of his head, "Yeah. Mostly." He then tightened up as he thought about it some more. "It's gotten a lot better though. In the last twelve months people have stopped stepping out of my way and started moving more comfortably around me. I even managed to make a couple of friends in the process." He then threw the newcomer a lopsided grin, "Even though I don't see one of them very often outside of work and the other two are technically my bosses, I'm a lot happier now than I had been when I first started out. The person that I do see most often lives in the same complex as I do and is a couple years my senior. She's a pretty cool lady once you get to know her… in that weird, creepy and childish sort of way."

A small smile breaking out on her face at the warm one the boy across from her sprouted, the kunoichi then placed a hand on her hip and straightened up. Turning to completely face the individual, she then nodded in the ramen connoisseur's direction, "I'm Samui."

"Naruto," the charming wanderer replied, returning her kind gesture, "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. The store was getting quite busy."

"That's alright," the kunoichi responded pleasantly, "I understand the importance of duty to a worker of your rank and position, and that an organization would not be able to stand without its supports in place. That's the bases for all forms of cooperation and teamwork in the world; something that we ninja hold in high regard."

Brightening up at the girl's very formal breakdown of his reasoning, Naruto tilted his head at her, "Don't take this the wrong way, but… I have this weird feeling that you've been following me around for quite some time now."

"Keen observation," Samui chuckled at the look he shot her, "Not bad. What gave me away?"

"Working at a store that requires you to be on the ball for all hours of the day can really make a guy like me conscious of their surroundings," Naruto informed, but then gave an off-handed wave at how stupid that sounded. "That or I'm just paranoid and super alert from living in a shinobi village my entire life."

"I see. So it's all a matter of extra sensitivity built up from endless hours of routine." The Genin acknowledged his answer by honoring him with a once over. "When I first met you at the ramen stand and learned from the manager that you came from _Konohagakure_, you immediately struck me as an interesting character. After seeing you in action through the window and how you were able to engross yourself in your work, I decided to keep an extra close eye on you and began stopping by the restaurant every day for lunch."

"Wow," Naruto remarked with a smart-alecky grin. "You're a bit of a cautious one, aren't you?"

"Not so much cautious as I am curious," Samui replied, throwing her hair back and showing the boy her most gorgeous of smiles. "I'm just the kind of person that trusts her instincts as well as her brain, and my instincts told me that you were a kind and charismatic individual with a very enigmatic streak about them that warranted an investigation from me. Civilians visiting _Kumogakure_ aren't usually as energetic and enthusiastic about their work as you are… and that says a lot about your actual upbringing."

At this, Naruto couldn't help but get a little chic with her, "Maybe I just have a steady diet of sugars and energy stimulating vitamins."

Samui smirked, "Somehow I doubt that."

Pulling a shrug at his attempt to mislead the girl, Naruto then watched the kunoichi lean over to pick up one of his kitchen knives. He allowed her to get a good look at the carving blade, which she weighed in her hands and ran her finger over from top to bottom.

Making a murmuring sound to convey the sense that she was impressed, Samui continued to speak, "You've got some really good taste. This is _very_ high quality metal."

"I know, right," Naruto chirped, "I just bought them this morning."

"You plan on assassinating somebody with these?" the girl asked curiously, taking the weapon by the blade and holding the handle out for him to grab.

"No. Of course not." The boy from Konoha frowned, reaching up to wrap his fingers around the knife by the safe end, "What makes you think I'm out to get somebody?"

"Well, based on what I saw back there, the fact that I know very little about you and judging from this impressive new toolkit of yours, I believe I have several different reasons to be suspicious of you," Samui replied, watching him withdraw the blade and hold it between his fingers. Stepping back, the _Kumogakure_ girl placed her fists on her hips. "The way I see it, you've got quite a few secrets hidden underneath that orange vest of yours… and I'd like to know about them."

Staring back at her in silence, Naruto then spared the kunoichi an amused chuckle and brandished his blade in one hand. "What can I say? In a world filled with dangerous animals and people… it doesn't hurt for an ordinary civilian like me to learn how to defend himself." With Samui's eyes fixed squarely on him, he started doing some very exciting knife tricks, spinning and twirling his blade around on his hand and fingers. The sight of the kitchenware rolling across his palm like it was magnetized to it had the kunoichi direct all of her attention to his limb, before he eventually caught the blade by the handle and held it sideways. "Stuff like this can go a long way in saving your life."

Before the kunoichi could comment, Naruto held the knife deftly in his grip, turned, and chucked it straight at a nearby boulder and tree. The weapon shot through the air like an arrow and struck the boulder. But instead of impaling it, it cut straight through it, shattering the top half before going straight through the tree behind it. It struck the ground a second later, leaving a trail of holes and debris lying in the blade's wake.

The sight instantly had Samui raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Nice arm," the kunoichi commented, quietly watching the whisker-marked apprentice dust off his hands and turn to face her again. "Yet another thing I should be curious about."

Naruto grinned proudly at his companion. "Hey. In the hands of a professional, a good knife can have over a thousand and one uses."

"Depends on the skill of the user, of course," Samui agreed, but dipped her head towards him mischievously. "I'd say yours is on par with that of a fighter border lining on _my_ profession. Care to explain that little discrepancy?"

"I do a lot of weight lifting, hauling and pumping iron. You know… strength-based stuff…" Naruto answered, seemingly confident at first. When he saw the smile the girl threw at him afterwards though, he decided to tack on a little bit more detail. "A _LOT_ of strength-based stuff."

Basically he just repeated what he'd already established.

"Alright then." And Samui seemed to accept it.

Needless to say, the blonde connoisseur's response was appropriate in pleasing both sides of the board for the time being. As soon as he'd spoken his part, Naruto squatted down on the grass and pulled out another blade from his collection. "Want to take a crack at this?"

The Genin tilted her head, "A bread knife?"

"Nice isn't it?" the blonde chimed while flicking the long piece of metal, "The farmer's catalogue said that this baby can cut through a femur in twenty-eight seconds. I reckon I can cut that time in half."

Samui smiled, "Cool."

After 'wooing' the girl and distracting her enough with his demonstration of skill and knowledge, Naruto jogged over to the hill to collect the carving blade he'd thrown. Returning it to its set without a single scratch or chip on it, showing that he'd definitely gotten his money's worth with his purchase, the spiky haired youngster then went on polishing up his intimidating set. During which time, the newcomer Samui found a comfortable spot beside the traveler and decided to sit with him as he went about his various, mundane tasks.

At first the young ramen chef was puzzled by her wanting to stay there with him. Maybe she was just interested in finding out more about him and what else he could do.

Of course, this bewilderment only lasted for an upward of three seconds before Naruto restarted his previous conversation with her and decided to get comfortable as well. This small exchange eventually opened up to the pair talking about their respective jobs and what it was like on their end of the spectrum. With one originating from a culinary world as well as from another village entirely and the other being a Genin from a shinobi squad in _Kumogakure_, they had a lot to share and talk about with one another.

Hell, they were barely able to cover any ground in the first few hours or however much time had passed between them after the bell. Topics were branching in left and right as the two carried on long into the afternoon.

"Did you know that continually planting wheat in the same field can deplete the soil quality of the land?"

A slightly surprised look came over Samui's face at this information, "Growing wheat pollutes the ground?"

"Yeah. In a way," Naruto answered with a grin spreading across his lips, "Unlike other nations surrounding Iwa and Taki, which use a three-stage crop rotation, the farms surrounding _my_ town use a four-stage crop rotation. It's a system that they use to coincide with each of the year's primary seasons." Knife in hand, he began drawing squares in the ground to better illustrate his point. "There are the summer fields, winter fields, and then there are the fields that rest for the entire year or are used to fill in other important areas of farming."

The kunoichi then leaned forward as the young man began carving symbols into each of the outlines, "Wouldn't the four stage crop rotation concept just deplete the soil quality even faster?"

"Not exactly," the boy continued, drawing a circle around the squares, "Growing and packing rice to feed the entire population of the country is one thing. That's done over wet land. But there are other resources out there that are just as significant as rice, which are used by the people on a daily basis; barley fields, clover fields, wheat fields and turnip fields. The farmers in our country applied these crops to their land over a four year cycle, which has allowed for a healthy and sustainable growth over the last quarter."

Thinking it over for a moment, Samui then snapped her fingers and pointed at the boy, "I think I've got it." She then held both hands out and scaled them. "In the summer, pigs and sheep can eat the clover, which allows you to maintain and increase your livestock."

"And by putting them to pasture during that time of season we are also providing the land with a natural fertilizer that raises the soil quality," Naruto concluded, piecing it together one at a time and then moving onto the next piece. "Then, during the winter period, we feed the pigs turnips." The boy then withdrew his limb and wiped off his blade, before putting it back with the others.

The kunoichi, who was also making her own analysis of information, raised her hand in realization. "This way you guys are able to produce and stock food year-round, as well as supply and feed the entire population of the _Land of Fire_," Samui stated, a triumphant gleam reflecting in her eyes.

"Yeah. And by using this method, we are keeping the fields in continuous use without depleting them… and it provides more meat as well," Naruto informed, folding his arms over his legs and looking across at the Kumo Genin proudly. "It's the perfect way to improve an area that is cold and poor, especially in a place that is less technologically advanced as us."

"I see," the young girl whispered.

After a moment of staring at her, the visitor from the hidden leaf then realized what he was doing and practically swallowed his tongue. He looked away a second later in embarrassment, "S-Sorry about that. I must be boring you to death with all of this food talk and farm nonsense."

Samui glanced up at him, appearing slightly startled. "No. Not at all." She then lowered her head to him kindly, "After listening to so many other boys complaining about their missions, training and all that other shinobi malarkey, I think your perspective of the world is a very welcome change of pace for me."

"Oh?" Naruto balked a little, "Really?"

"Yes," the kunoichi replied while bowing her head to the ramen connoisseur, "Thank you so much."

Brightening up at the girl's appreciation and scratching his head bashfully, Naruto then turned to his notebook opened up on the ground beside him. Over the entire course of the day that they'd spent out here, the blonde had managed to write down and draw in a total of five pages, as opposed to his usual two. This turn of events had come as a bit of a surprise to the young ramen cook, since he'd been completely unaware as to how many paragraphs he'd actually been writing down.

Hell, Samui had even watched as the adventurer penciled away in his book and periodically showed her the material he was writing. A whole chunk of their sunlight had been committed to this very same spot and they'd barely moved an inch from their original places. The only times they did genuinely move about to get some blood flow back into their legs was to go for a lap around the field and chuck knives at the tree.

What a hell of a competition that had been.

Noticing the position of the sun in the sky above, both Naruto and Samui slowly stood up. While the blonde from Konoha made sure to pocket his book and roll up his bag of kitchenware, the kunoichi used that opportunity to dust down her pants. Once they were on their feet, they quickly turned to each other gleefully.

"It's time for us to part ways, Naruto-san," Samui informed with a slightly sad smile, "I have to meet up with my team to talk about our next mission. Since Darui-sensei is still overseeing our progress in place of our actual team leader, I'm guessing it'll probably be a local call."

"Does that mean I'll be seeing you again tomorrow?" Naruto asked, a warm smile coming into play. "I honestly hope so. I really enjoyed spending time with you today."

"As did I," the kunoichi replied, giving her honest response to the spiky haired traveler. "You lead an honest, rich and fulfilling life, one that I'm sure will bring you lots of good fortune in your future."

"Yeah… same to you," the spiky haired youngster stated, placing his hands on his hips and grinning across at the dazzling kunoichi. She was pleasant, kind and cool. What was there to _not_ like about her, even if she was a ninja from another village? "Just a couple weeks ago I was serving villagers at the front counter; asking one person if they wanted extra dried fruit with their broth to increase the sweetness of their meal and another if she wanted me to adjust the scoville level by about thirteen percent for her spicy ramen. The next thing I know is I'm strolling down the highway towards _Kumogakure_ and sharing a friendly conversation with a beautiful girl from a whole other village." It took him a couple of seconds before his brain clicked on what he'd just blurted out, which caused him to balk and blush, "Bah! Gh… that's not what I… uhh… w-what I wanted to say was… uhh… ah crap-"

Watching the boy stammer for several seconds drew a quiet and brief giggle from the now more cheerful Samui. "I'm flattered by your compliment, Naruto-san." She then looked at him more warmly. "In case you're wondering, I too find your company to be quite enjoyable."

Rubbing his neck anxiously, the young man then gave the girl a nervous grin, "Do you… think we can do this again then?"

"Of course," Samui responded, turning heel and beaming amiably at the young man. "I'll come find you once my team's assignment has been completed."

"You… want my address so you can track me down afterwards?" Naruto asked.

"I know where you work," the kunoichi stated while turning to face the boy side on, "That should be sufficient enough information."

"Alright then," Naruto chirped with a wide grin, "I'll… see you tomorrow, Samui-chan."

"I'm looking forward to it, Naruto-san," Samui responded, waving to the boy before turning around. The second she did, she took off across the clearing and into the forest.

She was gone in five seconds flat.

Shouldering his bag of knives further up his back, the now much more invigorated connoisseur from the south took a moment to marvel at the time he'd spent out here. Having initially come down to this valley to enjoy the peace and scenery by himself, as well as to ogle at his knife collection, he eventually ended up spending an enjoyable day with a girl he'd only just met back at the counter of his work. In all his time living in his village and socializing with the populace that came to eat at Ichiraku's, he'd never ever had an experience like this before.

This girl had just been a joy to hang out with and one of the nicest girls he'd ever met. The mere memory of her sparked a fire in his chest that had him bouncing on his toes.

"_I think this was a pretty awesome way to spend my day off," _Naruto remarked joyfully, taking a moment to survey the direction Samui had disappeared in before turning his attention for home.

If there was anything else he could take away from his time out here in _Kumogakure's_ valleys was that he had a few more things to add to his book.

He couldn't wait to get back home and tell Ayame and Teuchi all about it.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: Hey all.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Frankly, I rather enjoyed reading this one.

Basically this arc covers Naruto's days in Kumogakure working for Teuchi's friend. Being an apprentice an everything, we see that he has a lot more to learn about the industry, as well as how to cook fantastic ramen. Diet ramen and low-cholesterol ramen are among his top priorities at the moment.

And, not only do we see Naruto learning new stuff and meeting new people, he also makes a new friend: Samui.

Hopefully this blossoms into something a little later down the line for the two. They're still kids after all, but their respective experiences and independence has prompted them to develop more adult if not more professional mindsets. We'll see where this goes.

We also catch a glimpse as to what Naruto's most prevailing trait is.

If you haven't already figured it out, Naruto may be small and young, but he's got incredible body strength. More on this later.

Looking forward to seeing you all next chapter.


End file.
